The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Reclaimer Effect
by bouncyjellies
Summary: This is a GUIDE to my 'The Reclaimer Effect' series. Read this if you want to know the timelines, faction/race profiles, and other stuff that you'll see in the Reclaimer Effect: First Contact.
1. TIMELINE

(EDITED and UPDATED)

AN: Hello there, reader! Welcome to...the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Reclaimer Effect, or, for the more Mass Effect-y readers, the Codex of the Reclaimer Effect series! This Codex/Guide is split into several parts, the first being the timeline. After that, we'll have faction profiles, then race profiles (these two will have multiple entries each), then technologies. Past wars, weapons, weapon yields and other stuff will be added later. PM me if you spot any mistakes, though I must say that the Starcraft and Mass Effect timelines have been bent around a bit (the sequence of events should be the same, but the years are different, and for Starcraft I changed some details).

Also: The Reclaimer Effect: First Contact will just be part one of a massive series that will span Mass Effect and, depending on the success of that fic, multiple other series. I will be replacing the chapters of the already-published Reclaimer Effect with the TRE:FC chapters. When you see the name of the fic as 'The Reclaimer Effect: First Contact' instead of 'The Reclaimer Effect,' then you'll know that it's been updated. Until then, kindly be patient.I should also state that some Star Wars races and GURPS: Traveler (hell, GURPS, there you go) races are in here, though they DO NOT RETAIN CANONICAL STORYLINES. THAT MEANS THAT THE STAR WARS FACTIONS AND GURPS FACTIONS ARE ENTIRELY OOC! I WARNED YOU ALREADY, OK?

Alright, let's start!

* * *

A Comprehensive TIMELINE of the Milky Way Galaxy-

There are two sections in this TIMELINE- the Modern Era Section, and the Ancient Era Section

(Ancient Era Section)

1,000,000,000 (estimated) BC: The Leviathans dominate the galaxy, enthralling every sentient race they encounter and protecting them in return for tribute. They consider themselves the galaxy's first and only apex race. After observing that their subservient races create synthetic races that consistently and violently rebel, the Leviathans create and Intelligence to seek a way to permanently preserve organic life. The Intelligence constructs an army of 'pawns' to gather genetic information throughout the galaxy. Eventually the Intelligence betrays the Leviathans, using its pawns to slaughter them for their genetic material to create Harbinger, the first Reaper. Thus begins the cyclical harvest of the galaxy's intelligent organic life by the Reapers, part of a vast experiment conducted by the Intelligence to fulfill its mandate. The Intelligence builds the mass relay network to increase the efficiency of the cycles, allowing galactic civilizations to develop faster and more consistently between harvests.

1,000,000,000 BC (estimated): The Leviathans kill the Leviathan of Dis, a Reaper. Its corpse comes to rest on the planet Jartar and remains undisturbed for nearly a billion years.

37,000,000 BC (estimated): An unknown spacefaring race fires a mass accelerator round at a Reaper near the planet Mnemosyne. The round penetrates the Reaper, disabling it, and continues moving through space, eventually striking the planet Klendagon and creating the geological feature there known as the Great Rift Valley.

30,000,000 BC: The ancient Xel'Naga arrive in the Milky Way Galaxy. A race of peaceful runaways attempting to escape the chaos of their own galaxy-wide civil war, the Xel'Naga had two goals. One was the spreading of the ideology of the Mantle of Responsibility. The other was the birthing of psionic potential in multiple species. They would modify the Protoss of Aiur, along with the Zerg of Zerus. Upon encountering the Leviathan hideaways, the Xel'Naga attempt to open communications with them. It is unknown as to what occurred afterwards. However, it is known that the Xel'Naga would only meddle in the Orion Arm and the region of space that would later be known as the Koprulu Sector. The Xel'Naga there would also be known as the Precursors. They settled a very small region of the galaxy, located deep within the Orion Arm, on a planet named Charum Hakkor. Due to their low population growth, a side effect of a bioweapon deployed during the war they escaped, the Precursors would not have many colonies. The Precursors would also remove the 'Mass Relays' from the Koprulu Sector and the Orion Arm, not wanting it to hamper the technological development of their creations. They also surrounded the Koprulu Sector with a psionic barrier field, impenetrable to all but the strongest weapons available to the Precursors. It was presumably to prevent other races from 'tampering' with the development of the Protoss.

300,000 BC: The Protoss eventually begins colonizing other planets through the use of warp gates. Protoss society would begin to fracture in this period.

255,000 BC: The Aeon of Strife begins, lasting hundreds of hundreds of thousands of years, causing the destruction of most Protoss settlements outside of Aiur. One such settlement survives, located on the remote world of Shakuras. They would be known as the Dark Templar sect of the Protoss. Technological degradation would occur during the millions of years of strife. The Precursors would view this as a failure. The Reapers, being incapable of penetrating the Barrier Field, begin to ignore it, seeing it as an anomaly in space.

200,000 BC: The Precursors create the Forerunners and Humans. They decide that the Forerunners are not worthy of the Mantle, and plan to exterminate them. The Forerunners find out, prompting their surprise attack on Precursor worlds. The use of a 'Bio-Worm' on Precursors is authorized. It, along with Forerunner hit-and-run raids, ensures the death of 95% of the relatively small and unarmed Precursor race. The remainder cures the Bio-Worm, and fuse themselves into it, changing it into powder form. Volunteers put the powder-form Precursors onto starships, before attempting to escape, but they only partially succeed. Forerunner warships destroy most of the ships, but one, with a broken stasis field, manages to escape. Genetic degradation would see the powder-life forms mutate into a horror. The Flood. The last real Xel'Naga, abandoning the title of Precursor, The Forerunner Ecumene's High Council hides the method in which the defeated the Precursors through from the public, banning the use of Precursor devices. Technological development begins stagnating for the Forerunners. The Forerunners would spread to 3 million worlds, all concentrated in the Orion Arm. The Reapers begin planning to move the Relays to the Orion Arm and Koprulu Sector, assuming a malfunction (evidently it happens every once in a few million years). The plan would take a few hundred thousand years to enact, due to the difficulty of transporting and building the relays without indoctrinated races (due to them all being processed to be Reapers).

150,000 BC: The humans of Erde-Tyrene take to the stars, eventually meeting the San'Shyuum and forming the Human-San'Shyuum Empire. They would colonize tens of thousands of worlds in the Orion Arm.

115,000 BC: The Empire discovers an unmanned ship of unknown make, filled with containers of a powder. Upon realizing that it made animals docile, the powder is then used on pets.

111,000 BC: Genetic changes over time makes the humans realize the dangers posed by the newly named 'Flood.' It is too late, however, as hundreds of human worlds are overrun. The Human-Flood War begins. Flood incursions to Forerunner territory would result in human starships 'cleansing' them, prompting the Human-Forerunner War. The Human-Flood War would end when a third of the human population was killed, spreading the anti-Flood cure, causing the Flood to turn on themselves.

110,000 BC: The Human-Forerunner War comes to a close as a militarily exhausted humanity is devolved to a Tier 7 race. The Forerunners begin demilitarizing.

100,300 BC: The Flood and Forerunners make first contact. The Forerunner-Flood War begins.

100,000 BC: The Halos are fired, killing all sentient life in the galaxy. The Flood is placed in research facilities on the Halos. All remaining Forerunners leave the Milky Way, leaving the Mantle to the Reclaimers. The Reapers are rendered deactivated due to the 'shock' from the Halo firing, though they would reactivate within a thousand years time. The firing of the Halos also somehow caused the fall of the Psionic Barrier Field surrounding the Koprulu Sector, along with the destruction of many Precursor artifacts.

68,000 BC (estimated): The Protheans achieve spaceflight and discover the Mass Effect from the ruins of the extinct Inusannon. They would establish a galaxy-wide civilization linked by the Mass Relays with the Citadel as their capital. The Protheans would fight a conflict against a hostile race of machine intelligences, aggressively assimilating many other races into their empire. It would be called the 'Metacon War.'

48,000 BC: The Reapers arrive, destroying the Prothean Empire and the Prothean race, along with every other spacefaring race of the time period. The Mass Relays are finally returned to the Orion Arm and Koprulu Sector.

13,000 BC: The Turians of Palavan begin to develop civilization at this time.

6000 BC: Seeking to escape the imminent explosion of their sun, an alien race constructs an AI-managed starship equipped with supercomputers containing a virtual world, into which some one billion of the aliens transfer their consciousness. The starship begins a journey throughout the galaxy that lasts for the next 8000 years.

1400 BC: Tuchanka, the Krogan homeworld, enters the nuclear age. In a global conflict, WMDs are released, triggering a nuclear winter. The resulting devastation causes Krogan society to devolve into a collection of warring clans.

1300 BC: A supernova propels the Mu Relay, the only point of access to the remote Pangaea Expanse, out of position. Concealed somewhere in the dense nebula formed by the supernova, the Relay's position is effectively lost for centuries. Later, the Rachni rediscover the Relay.

80 BC: After developing Faster-than-Light spacefaring capabilities based upon Prothean technology, the Asari begin to explore the Mass Relay network, and eventually discover the huge Citadel space station at a hub of many mass relays.

20 BC: The Salarians discover the Citadel and open diplomatic relations with the Asari.

* * *

(Modern Era)

AD 0: The Citadel Council is formed. The Asari and Salarians together colonize the Citadel and establish it as a center of the galactic community, led by the Council. As a gesture of openness with their new Asari allies, the Salarian Union opens the records of the League of One. Under threat, the League responds by assassinating every member of the Union's inner cabinet; Special Tasks Group operatives then hunt down and eliminate the League. First contact is made with the Volus. Eventually, the Citadel Council commissions the Volus to draw up the Unified Banking Act, which establishes a standard galactic currency known as the Credit (later renamed Citadel Credit) and links all galactic economies. The Turian Unification War occurs. The increasingly isolated and xenophobic colonies on the frontiers of Turian space go to war with each other. After years of fighting, the Turian Hierarchy sweeps in and pacifies the remaining factions. Animosity between Turian colonies continues for decades. The Council grants the Volus the 'honor' of being the first non-Council species with an embassy at the Citadel, rather than a Council seat. First contact is made with the Batarians. They are granted an embassy a century later. The Asari discover the Elcor home system and help the Elcor locate and activate their nearest Mass Relay. 'Within one Elcor lifetime they establish a regular trade route to the Citadel and are granted an embassy. First Contact is made with the Hanar and Quarians. Both races are later granted embassies.

AD 501: The Rachni, a species of highly intelligent hive-minded insects, are discovered when a Citadel expedition opens a dormant mass relay leading to their star systems. The Rachni prove to be hostile and begin a war with the rest of the galaxy. Negotiation with the Rachni queens is impossible because they cannot be contacted in their underground nests on the toxic Rachni worlds.

AD 580: The Rachni Wars continue. The Salarians make first contact with and uplift the primitive Krogan, manipulating them into acting as soldiers for the Citadel Council. The Krogan prove able to survive the harsh environments of the Rachni worlds and pursue the Rachni into their nests, systematically eradicating queens and eggs.

AD 800: The Rachni are declared extinct. In gratitude for their aid during the Rachni Wars, the Council rewards the Krogan a new homeworld. Free of the harsh environment of Tuchanka, the Krogan population explodes.

AD 800-1200: The Krogans begin to expand exponentially, colonizing many worlds. Growing concerns about their expansion lead to the founding of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel.

AD 1200: Krogan warlords leverage veterans of the Rachni Wars to annex territory from other races in Citadel space. Eventually the Council demands withdrawal from the Asari colony of Lusia, but the Krogan refuse. A preemptive strike is made on Krogan infrastructures by the Spectres. The Krogan Rebellions begin. The Citadel Council makes first contact with the Turians around this time and persuades them to aid in the war. After the Krogan respond to the initial Turian offensive by devastating Turian colonies with WMDs, the Turians vow to stop the Krogan from ever becoming a threat again. Sometime after the Turians join the galactic community, the Volus are accepted as a client race of the Turian Hierarchy.

AD 1210: Realizing that the Krogan will never give in as long as they can replenish their fighters, the Turians unleash a Salarian-engineered bioweapon known as the genophage on the Krogan. The Krogan population starts its decline.

AD 1300: The Krogan Rebellions end, though scattered Krogan insurgent actions continue for decades. The Turians fill the military and peacekeeping niche left by the decimated Krogan. The Citadel Conventions are drawn up in the wake of the conflict.

AD 1400: The Turians are granted a seat on the Citadel Council in recognition for their service in the Krogan Rebellions.

AD 1961: Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space in 100,000 years.

AD 1900: Extensive and unchecked industrial expansion on the Drell homeworld, Rakhana, begins taking a significant toll on the planet's environment.

AD 2080: Humanity's first off-world colony is settled on Mars.

AD 2160: Tensions begin to rise in the Sol System as the fascist Friedens and communist Koslovics rebel against the Earth governments. The United Nations Space Command is formed.

AD 2161-2180: The Interplanetary Wars occur. The rebels are brutally put down by a unified and very powerful UNSC, with the backing of the Unified Earth Government.

AD 2100: The first sightings of the Collectors are reported in the Terminus Systems. In Citadel space, the claims are dismissed as unsubstantiated rumors and tall tales.

AD 2229: A secret plan enacted by shady elements of the Unified Earth Government to dispose of suspected dissidents. 4,000,000 (a higher number than the initial 40,000, as high-ranking officials begin to agree with the plan) 'colonists' are placed in primitive cryogenic stasis and sent on fourteen (an increase from the planned four) 'supercarriers' towards a random point in space, eventually going through a naturally formed wormhole by accident. The plan was to make them disappear forever, while reinvigorating the shipbuilding economy.

AD 2291: The UEG discovers FTL through the Shaw-Fujikawa Slipspace Drive.

AD 2309: The fourteen supercarriers arrive in the Koprulu Sector, on the edge of the galactic fringe, stranding the passengers on three colonies- Tarsonis, Umoja and Moria. One of the supercarriers experiences an engine failure before crashing on Tarsonis, killing a quarter of its passengers. The commanders and officers of the on the Tarsonis supercarriers would become the Old Families of Tarsonis. The Protoss observe the their arrival, shocked by the strip mining of natural resources.

AD 2380: Aria T'Loak arrives on Omega, a space station in the Terminus Systems regarded as the region's nominal capital. Aria is hired by the station's warlord as an enforcer and quickly becomes one of his most trusted lieutenants.

AD 2395: The Geth, machines created by the Quarians as a source of cheap labor, become self-aware. Fearing a Geth uprising, the Quarians begin dismantling them. The Geth then revolt against their Quarian masters. In the resulting conflict- known to the Geth as the Morning War- the Geth systematically drive the Quarians from their own worlds. The surviving Quarians are reduced to living as spacefaring nomads aboard the Migrant Fleet. Contrary to expectations, the Geth do not venture outside the former Quarian systems into wider Citadel space, instead isolating themselves from the rest of the galaxy behind the Perseus Veil. As punishment for creating the Geth, the Citadel Council closes the Quarian embassy on the Citadel.

AD 2480: Aria T'Loak assumes control of Omega after defeating the space station's previous warlord in single combat. She mockingly bestows the title 'Patriarch' on the broken Krogan, and uses him as a reminder to her enemies of her power.

AD 2490: Over 800 worlds are within Earth-controlled space.

AD 2494: The Insurrection begins. It will continue until after the Human-Covenant War.

AD 2500: The Drell make first contact with the Hanar around this time. With their homeworld Rakhana severely depleted and no spaceflight capability, the Drell were posed for a massive population crash by 2525. Agreeing to help, the Hanar mount a large-scale rescue operation and evacuate approximately 375,000 Drell to their homeworld, Kahje, over the following decade. The remaining 11 billion Drell on Rakhana gradually perish, warring over the last reserves of food and water.

AD 2506: Project Orion- the precursor to the Spartan Program- is shut down due to cost and time constraints.

AD 2511: John-117 is born.

AD 2517: ONI kidnaps 75 children for the Spartan-II Program.

AD 2523: The Tarsonis colonists colonize multiple planets, forming the Terran Confederacy of Man.

AD 2525: The Earth-colonized world of Harvest becomes the site of First Contact between the human race and the alien Covenant. It would begin the 27-year war that would drive humanity to the edge of extinction.

AD 2535: The Cole Protocol is established by military order.

AD 2539: The Zerg become aware of the Terrans.

AD 2552: The Human-Covenant War ends, with over 23 billion dead. The Covenant fractures, and the UNSC _Forward_ _Unto Dawn_ goes missing, with humanity's hero onboard.

AD 2553: The Sangheili Imperium is formed, and the Imperial Protectorate of Bahalo is founded. The Imperial Protectorate of Te is founded as well.

AD 2555: A spatial distortion similar to slipspace causes the derelict _Dawn_ to crash-land on an abandoned Forerunner colony. The cryogenic pods containing Sierra-117 fail, and he is 'clinically dead.' His pod and the chip containing the AI Cortana mysteriously disappear a few hours later.

AD 2556: Experimental Forerunner technology is used to revive Sierra-117, and he awakens face to face with a Forerunner Monitor. A violent misunderstanding occurs, but Cortana's intervention stops the fight before it could heat up. The experimental nature of the technology used to revive him causes medical complications of 117, namely the reversed-aging of his cells. When questioned what would happen when he hits age 0, the Monitor replies with 'no data.' Cortana undergoes an upgrade, leaving her with a longer lifespan as long as a Monitor. The Monitor, 783 Fortuitous Delight, expresses his/its relief that the True Reclaimer is alive. Further prodding from both the Chief and Cortana is met with the simple but powerful reply that 117 has the Iso-Didact's psionic signature. Delight is met with blank looks, until he further explains what psionics are.

AD 2557: The events of Requiem occur. Spartan Teams Crimson and Majestic accidentally awaken the Didact, causing a distress beacon to activate on the colony 117 is at. Without prior warning, Delight teleports the two of them to a Forerunner ship, later revealed to be a civilian transport. Despite that, the 'light weapons' onboard are considerably powerful. An explanation at gunpoint from the Monitor conducted while the three are en route to Requiem reveals much to the Chief. Meanwhile, the Storm Covenant teams up with the Didact to attack the grounded UNSC _Infinity_, but the attack is halted when 117 arrives on the 'civilian' ship. Said civilian ship decimated the Storm Covenant in the next three seconds of battle. The _Mantle's Approach_ is revealed minutes after the _Infinity _escapes the gravity well of Requiem. The Didact, unwilling to allow Requiem to fall to humans, sends a timed slipspace distortion bomb into the core of Requiem, before opening a slipspace portal. The _Infinity_ and the _Peon Potato _(remember, civilian ship) give chase, with the _Infinity _piggybacking on the _Potato_'s slipspace currents. Although they were too late to stop the Didact from composing the humans aboard Ivanoff Station, they manage to intercept the Didact as he enters the Sol System. A cat and mouse chase ensues, with the entire UNSC Home Fleet and Sol ODP Net taking potshots at the astonishingly agile Forerunner warship. An Alpha Strike by the Infinity as well as the combined force of the Home Fleet's AIs and 783 Delight brings down the shields in one of the sections of the _Approach._ 52 Spartan-IVs, along with a strike team of Marines (they were already onboard the Pelicans beforehand), accompanied by Sierra-117 then storm the ship. During the fight against the Didact, seven S-IVs are wounded and three are nearly killed when the Didact begins using the 'space-magic' powers identified by Delight as psionics. When the Didact attacks the Chief with it though, he seemingly needs to concentrate more, allowing the Marines and Spartan-IVs to use their heavy weapons on the Didact, killing him (say what you want about the power of a Forerunner armor suit/combat skin, but 30 to 40 grenades, missiles and continuous fire would take down anything). The death of the Didact causes the _Approach _to activate self-destruct protocols, diverting power from shields and allowing the Spartans and Marines to be evacuated.

AD 2558: In a meeting with the President of the UEG, Ruth Charet, and the current head of the UNSC, Fleet Admiral Hood, 783 Fortuitous Delight and Sierra-117 with Dr. Catherine Halsey present everything recovered from both the _Peon Potato_ and Requiem. Attempts to activate psionics in other humans succeed, though they do not have the Iso-Didact's signature. When asked what this will mean, Delight offhandedly replies that S-117 has full control of the remnants of the Forerunner Ecumene. In the meantime, the Omega Contingency is formed, detailing what to do in the event that a Flood outbreak is found.

AD 2559: The Janus Keys are used to find the location of countless Forerunner Installations and artifacts, nearly all of them scattered in the Orion Arm. The problem is that most of these artifacts are not very large, and several are even concealed. The problem soon becomes a simple 'it's not that we don't know which planet the artifacts are on, we just don't know where on the planet the artifact is.' Several Sentinel Construction Facilities are brought online. While the Sentinels will follow the command of every psionic human (they need to be activated, an easy task, before they can get psionics), 117's orders are found to always be of higher priority. AIs are given a new upgrade, titled the Cortana Package, which was one of the first things researched. While it seemingly increases the lifespan of the AIs, it also unknowingly causes them to send the information gathered by the AIs to the Assembly, who has been contacted by both Delight and Cortana, with the backing of Hood and President Charet, to serve as a watchdog for corruption. The Assembly would later form a more covert arm known as Cerberus. Scientists begin the scramble to understand Forerunner technology.

AD 2560: Enough evidence is compiled to convict Admiral Margaret Orlenda Parangosky (a woman that Hood and Charet both admit has become far too powerful for humanity's good) and her protégé, Serin Osman (who was given up by the other high-ranking ONI officials to save their own skin, not that it really helped them in the near future). Hood would write in his private journal that this was merely to stop the worrying acts committed by the Office of Naval Intelligence, included the repeated attempted assassinations of Catherine Halsey. The Reclaimer Star Ascendency is formed after the dissolution of the Unified Earth Government (enforced by Spartan-II and III commandos, along with Sentinel drones), governed by the Triumvirate (this will be covered in later installments). The Psion Activation Act becomes mandatory by Triumvirate Order. The Ascendency Senate is formed to allow laws to be passed, trade agreements between colonies to be formed, and other stuff. A Majority Vote from the Assembly and a Majority Vote from the Triumvirate is needed to overrule the decisions of the Senate. This is to ensure that harm doesn't arise from foolish decisions (AIs think clearly, so they'll be the bulwark against stupidity).

AD 2561: Admiral Hood becomes the first human other than 117 to take the Reversed Aging Serum, famously stating 'ah, why the hell not' before doing so. Many older humans would do so in the future. A 'leak' regarding information pertaining to the Forerunners and the Mantle of Responsibility occurs. It would cause a massive change in public opinion.

AD 2562: Practically all dissent in the outer colonies is gone by now, as psionics allow people to know if a person is corrupt or not. The revelation of many corrupt elements within the former UEG begin to show. With autonomous rule given to them, though they are officially part of the Ascendency, the Insurrection is finally at a close. The Ascendency begins to forge a working relationship with the Sangheili Imperium, led by the Imperial High Council of Kaidons. Though relations are still cold between the two star empires, they cooperate against all things relating to the Covenant Remnants, out of necessity if anything. Humanity, the Reclaimers, begins their recovery- and rise to glory. Interest in the Mantle continues to soar.

AD 2563: Public opinion regarding the Mantle of Responsibility is so positive (psychological reasons, partly due to the 'godlike' reputation of the Forerunners and the fact that they 'chose' us to protect the galaxy, giving us a purpose) that demonstrations demanding the adoption of the Mantle as the ideology of the Ascendency begin popping up on various worlds.

AD 2564: The Harvest Protocols are released to the public at large. They are to be declared in the even of a First Contact situation with another race.

White Harvest is when a new, pre-spaceflight race is found.  
Grey Harvest is when contact is made with a technologically primitive race (pre-spaceflight).  
Blue Harvest is first contact with an advanced spacefaring (non-FTL) race.  
Green Harvest is when First Contact is made with an interstellar (with FTL capabilities) race.  
Red Harvest is when a hostile spacefaring race with equal or primitive technology is found.  
Black Harvest, the highest and most dangerous alert, is when an Extinction-level threat is found, usually declared with the Omega Contingency.

AD 2565: Another 'leak' within the intelligence database reveals the existence of the Flood to the public. This comes at a time when people began to question the amount of funds being spent on the military. As information regarding the scope of the Flood threat becomes available to billions, any dissent from militarization and increasing the budget for the Reclaimer Ascendency Military Forces disappears.

AD 2566: The Kel-Morian Combine is formed by Morian Mining Coalition and the Kelanis Shipping Guild to counter the growing threat of the Confederacy. The Reclaimer Ascendency Military Forces are split into five branches. The Reclaimer Ascendency Star Navy (commonly referred to as either the Reclaimer Star Navy or the Ascendency Star Navy) is the main fighting force in space. The Reclaimer (Ascendency) Marine Corps is the 'tip' of the spear for invasions. The Colonial Defense Force is the 'militia' of the Ascendency. They would do the main garrison duties that were once handled by the Army. The Reclaimer (Ascendency) Directorate of Intelligence is the replacement of ONI. The final branch is the Reclaimer (Ascendency) Special Operations Command (commonly known as RSOC), which handles the Special Forces units of the Ascendency, including the elite Spartan Force and Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. The word 'Ascendency' is usually unused when referring to the armed forces, as the use of 'Reclaimer' is more popular.

AD 2567: Plans are drawn up for the Spartan-V Program, only to be initiated in the event that Red/Black Harvest is declared. The UNSC _Spirit of Fire_ is found, with a deactivated Serina. She is given the Cortana Package, though her sardonic wit seems to worsen due to her 'time in the freezer,' as she calls it. Captain James Cutter chooses to retire into CDF service, wanting to catch up with his wife and daughter, who both managed to escape Reach, if barely.

AD 2568: The Ascendency begins prioritizing Anti-Flood measures on every colony world, as well as funding more anti-Flood technologies. Ascendency High Command sees this as a foolish endeavor and unfortunate side effect of releasing information regarding the Flood to the public at large.

AD 2570: Construction begins on the RMS _Preston Jeremiah Cole_, named after the war hero who held off the Covenant for decades and bogged them down in the Outer Colonies, as well as destroying hundreds of Covenant ships, the first of the Cole-class Dreadnoughts. The few leaked reports regarding the ship mention its 'awe-inspiring size' and 'excessive weaponry.' Construction on the _Cole_ would take years, not because of difficulty in building the ship, but understanding the technologies needed to arm and use a ship of its power.

AD 2572: The Re-Colonial Rush begins as glassed worlds become inhabitable again with the use of terraforming technology. The Epsilon Indi System, where Harvest is located, is turned into a Military Interest Zone, in preparation for its upcoming fortifying.

AD 2574: The economy of the Ascendency booms as goods begin pouring in from all the colonies, and tentative trade begins with the Sangheili Imperium. Relations between the two powers are still EXTREMELY COLD. It is estimated that it would take decades, if not centuries before the wounds of the past would heal.

AD 2575: The Ascendency settles the region to the galactic 'north' of Earth, naming it the Prospero Sector. Free of glassed worlds, far away from the Covenant Remnant and full of exploitable resources, the Prospero Sector quickly grows to become one of the richest regions in the Ascendency.

AD 2576: Harvest finishes its initial fortification phase, with a little under one hundred and twenty ODPs. The building of these Platforms revitalizes the economies of certain industrial colonies, with another sixty ODPs still underway. The shipping business also picks up at this.

AD 2577: Fifteen million people migrate to Harvest, along with a little under seven million Marines. Due to the richness of the soil, Harvest once again becomes a breadbasket for the human race. More would move to Harvest in the coming years, working in the massive multilevel farms on the colony/fortress world.

AD 2578: Angus Mengsk, a senator of the Confederate colony of Korhal, sparks a secret revolution against the Confederacy with the assistance of Umoja.

AD 2579: The Vargr Empire invades the Prospero Sector, having set their sights on the recently colonized planets. With a history filled with war, the Vargr have never been defeated before, and did not expect the resistance posed by the Ascendency's colonies. Red Harvest is declared. The Spartan-V Program is formally inaugurated, asking for volunteers between the ages of eight to twelve. Augmentation is now has a 100% success rate, producing Spartan-III level skill, but with enhanced psionics. Parents are allowed continued contact with the children. The S-V Program would create some of humanity's greatest heroes, though it would be years before they would be deployed. The Reclaimer Star Ascendency formally declares war on the Vargr Empire. Plans for the Mandatory Military Service Act are shelved due to the announcement of the Spartan-V Program (strain the public too much and they'll rebel).

AD 2580: All scientists working on the Forerunner installations are ordered to begin researching Sentinel Drones for mass production on scales unseen since the Forerunner-Flood War. S-IV augmentations become mandatory for ODSTs.

AD 2581: After two years of beating down Vargr assaults, the Ascendency sends the Charet Envoy, proposed by the retired Adjudicator Ruth Charet to end the war before the Sentinel Swarm is deployed. The envoy is sent back with a single message: Surrender or Die. The Sentinels are deployed.

AD 2582: The Reclaimer Star Navy's 3rd, 4th and 5th Fleets spearhead the attack into Vargr territory. Vargr weaponry was mainly energy-based, and as such their shields were formed to counter energy weapons. The Energy Projectors used by some Ascendency ships were useless in this regard, prompting the massive rearmament of warships with Autumn-Upgrade Magnetic Accelerator Cannons. Vargr shields were found to be extremely vulnerable to this, and the effects of a MAC shot to the hull of a Vargr warship, even a glancing blow, is easily seen by the aforementioned ship's destruction. The Vargr War increases in intensity, causing some colonies to be 'under-defended.' Raids by the Vargr on these worlds lead to seventeen million deaths, causing the Mandatory Military Service Act to be passed by Triumvirate Order, with Senate Approval. All schools within the Ascendency must now include combat classes as part of the education, and at the age of seventeen all citizens in the Ascendency will have to join a branch of the Reclaimer Ascendency Military Forces- the standard is the Colonial Defense Force (named after the colony itself, so Reach has the Reach Defense Force, while New Berlin has the New Berlin Defense Force), where all citizens must serve if they do not want a 'combat' posting (the Navy, Marines). The exceptions are the Spartans and the Directorate of Intelligence (the former requires joining at 8-12, the latter requires heavy screening).

AD 2583: The Battle of White Forge occurs. The RSN 63rd Scout Flotilla- composed of ten frigates, four destroyers and a single light cruiser- enters the system containing the Vargr world designated White Forge. They would bear witness to an engagement of titanic proportions, involving Vargr ships (which looked like deformed balloons) and dagger-shaped warships, both using energy weapons. The 63rd Flotilla would call for reinforcements and engage the Vargr, aiding the 'new guys.' CDF garrisons are tasked with defending the colony itself, though defense of the system is still in the hands of the Navy. To facilitate an easier chain of command, the Colonial Defense Force Command is created, led by Marine Generals and Admirals who want a less stressful posting.

AD 2584: Formal first contact is made with the Chiss Ascendency. Though confusion over the names arises, along with astonishment of the Chiss' similarity to humans (later explained by the fact that the Chiss were indeed offshoots of the human race evolving on the icy world of Csilla after their Forerunner seed ship crashed there), the RSA and CA form an alliance to defeat the Vargr. The Chiss reveal that they have been at war with the Vargr for twenty Earth years, and that multiple known races have been conquered and subsequently enslaved by the Vargr, who hold the belief that they're the superior race. The Colonial Defense Force is divided into the Colonial Space Defense Force and the Colonial Terrestrial Defense Force. The CSDF handles all the fighter/bomber/interceptors, defense boats and Defense stations, while the CTDF handles the ground defense. Ranks are also simplified. Navy officers and Marine officers regularly check on CSDF and CTDF garrisons on a random basis to guarantee that they are capable of defending the colony. The Navy hands the responsibility of system defense to the CSDF.

AD 2585: The Guild Wars begins between the Terran Confederacy of Man and the Kel-Morian Combine. The first class of Spartan-Vs, six thousand in total, are given the designation Division Alpha, with the individual designations SVA-0001 to SVA-6000. Spartan-V training in hellish and intense, so despite the hundreds of thousands of volunteers, only six thousand or so 'graduate.' The rest left the program, joined the other military branches or decided that they were not suited for the duties of a Spartan.

AD 2586: Spartan-V Division Bravo is deployed. There are six thousand SVBs, with the designations SVB-0001 to SVB-6000. The UNSC _Everest _is found on the ice world of Arpola III. Vice Admiral Cole is reinstated as Fleet Admiral, although he is given time to reunite with his remaining family (specifically his sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, and ex-wife). Upon seeing the ship named after him, Cole supposedly said something that would increase his popularity by leaps and bounds. 'They shouldn't have named it after me…hell, they should have named it after those brave men and women who died for humanity…not me." That would be used in the staggeringly popular movie _The Star Serpent_, detailing the exploits of Admiral Cole during the Human-Covenant War (it was found later on that the Covenant gave Cole that name during the war out of grudging respect).

AD 2587: The Chiss-Reclaimer Joint Strike Fleet begins hitting the Vargr Slave Worlds, most of which were once Dac Alliance colonies. A year of brutal campaigning and Sentinel Swarms, with the help of the newly arrived Spartan-V Division Alpha, ends with the Battle of Dac. Hundreds of Vargr ships are destroyed, and the Mon Calamari are liberated, though the Vargr have driven the Quarren to extinction. News of the 'failure' of the Ascendency to stop the extinction of the Quarren spread all throughout Reclaimer space, and the Ascendency vows to never allow the Vargr to threaten other races again. Spartan-V Division Charlie is formed, and there are six thousand of them as well.

AD 2588: The Chiss Ascendency requests unification between the two governments, stating that despite the difference in skin and eye color, they are both Reclaimers (proven when 783 Fortuitous Delight greets the Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn with a 'greetings, Reclaimer!'). Not wanting Forerunner tech to fall into hands not their own, the Reclaimer Star Ascendency agrees. The name is not changed due to the shocking (to the humans) news that the Chiss as a race have taken a liking to it (due to both the friendliness between the two and the view held by both sides that they are long lost brothers in arms). The liberated Mon Calamari forms the Dac Protectorate of Systems, though all Mon Calamari who want to serve join the Ascendency Military Forces. After five years of service they are allowed into the Dac Space Guard, which later proves to be an elite fighting force.

AD 2589: The Guild Wars end with the total victory of the Confederacy. The Combine is turned into a Confederate-dominated organization. As the Vargr War continues, the Ascendency begins pulling out a portion of the forces allocated to the War on the Covenant Remnant.

AD 2590: The Vargr War reaches its eleventh year for humanity, twenty-sixth for the Chiss, and twenty-seventh for the Mon Calamari. The combined Ascendency Spearhead Fleets begin the push into the Vargr Inner Worlds. The Vargr refusal to surrender and their 'bushido' styled culture means that very few Vargr get captured.

AD 2594: The first Chiss Spartans are deployed. The form part of the Spartan-V Division Javelin, and gain massive recognition for their ultra-deadliness, causing a Spartan-II Colonel Jerome-092 to state that 'the worst of theirs almost as good as the Twos, and the best of theirs are just as good as the best of us.'

AD 2595: The Vargr homeworld, Vagera, is found. An assault is launched, composed of one of the largest Ascendency armadas in history. Nearly two thousand warships and thirty thousand Spartan-Vs and the accompanying forces invade the Vargr homeworld, starting a pitched battle that would last for an entire year. In the meantime, more Ascendency fleets begin liberating the remaining race enslaved by the Vargr, the Vegans.

AD 2596: As the war comes to a close, the Vargr's 'Immortal' Emperor orders all of his people to commit suicide to retain their honor. The Vargr started the war with fifty-eight billion people. By its end, only a few thousand existed, before those remaining few thousand committed mass suicide as well. The Ascendency's response to this is mixed. While the Vargr were hated, not everyone wanted them extinct. It was, however, far too late for that. The Vegans formed the Vegan Systems Polity and became a Protectorate state of the Ascendency. Unlike the Dac Protectorate of Systems, the VSP operate the Vegan Self Defense Force (VSDF), composed of Vegan citizens who want to serve, without the hassle of first joining the Reclaimer Ascendency Military Forces. War games between the VSDF and DSG always show that the DSG is far better at combat, due to each member's experience. However, the DSG is also far smaller than the VSDF, and as such adopts a similar idea, resulting in the Dac Self Defense Force (DSDF). DSDF soldiers may only join the Dac Space Guard after seven years of service, as opposed to the ones who serve in the RAMF (they only need to serve five years). The Reclaimer Star Ascendency's Triumvirate formally declares the end of the Vargr War, which had a massive death toll for the Vargr (the entire race, 58 billion), the Vegans (15 billion dead), the Quarren (the entire race, 28 billion), the Mon Calamari (12 billion), and the Chiss (1.8 billion). The humans did not suffer as much due to humanity's technological and numerical edge over the Vargr, with 'only' 234 million dead.

AD 2597: The diverting of resources and fleets from the War on the Covenant Remnant to the Vargr Front resulted in the resurgence of the Covenant. The Sangheili Imperium begins suffering from continuous assaults and raids from Covenant Remnant affiliated privateers.

AD 2598: The Reclaimer Star Ascendency begins consolidating its gains. The Chiss alone had five hundred and twenty colonies during their time of joining, though the majority of these were tiny. Added to the fact that many new human colonies had been formed in the past forty years, along with the fact that practically all of Vargr space was in the hands of the Ascendency, the Reclaimer Star Ascendency's territory now extended to over 3500 planets. Most of these were barely colonized, serving as fuel depots, farming colonies, and backwater research stations. Much of the Vargr Military Interest Zone is now used for training the Reclaimer Star Navy and Reclaimer Marines. The War on the Covenant Remnant begins to show signs of ending as the battle-hardened Reclaimer Ascendency Military Forces converge on the Remnant.

AD 2599: The Koprulu Sector's Great War begins as Protoss, Zerg and Terran forces begin clashing with each other. A patrol of Reclaimer Star Navy warships go missing for weeks, with only one returning damaged and battered, bringing news of the Koprulu Sector (on the edge of the galactic plane, 60,000 light years away, right at the galactic fringe), and the presence of the Flood-like Zerg. The Ascendency, alarmed at the news of an obviously hostile race, begins assembling one of the largest armadas in the history of the modern mankind, and the Remnant Campaign is accelerated. The Sangheili Imperium begins patrolling the defeated Remnant colonies.

AD 2599 (LATE): The combined numbers of the 8th to 15th Reclaimer Star Navy Fleets are sent to the Koprulu Sector. With Slipspace-Forerunner reverse engineered drives (note: not the same as Forerunner Slipspace drives) capable of traversing 2,500 light years per day, the Koprulu Strike Armada would take twenty-four days to arrive. Upon arrival (February 18), Zerg forces in orbit of Tarsonis attack them.

AD 2600 (EARLY): The Armada begins fighting the Zerg forces to a standstill. An extraction force is sent to New Gettysburg to 'make friends with the locals). They end up saving Lieutenant Sarah Kerrigan mere seconds before the Zerg wave would overwhelm her. The Sons of Korhal and the Raynor's Raiders part ways violently. After intercepting the conversation between Mengsk and James Raynor (see file: Mengsk-Raynor Conflict Conversation), the Armada, under Grand Admiral Cole, aids the Raiders in fighting off the Sons of Korhal. Protoss warships and Zerg flyers clash with each other, with the Raiders, Confederate remnants and Sons or Korhal adding into the chaos. The Armada is nearly attacked by the Protoss, but the fierce battle between them and the Zerg causes the Protoss to leave them be for now. A Protoss commander would idly note that these 'new humans' had shields, something previously thought impossible without the use of Psionic energies (the Protoss plasma shields utilized psionic energy as the base form, enhancing it with technology). The Tarsonis Campaign occurs, ending with the Ascendency forces and Protoss forces falling back. The Koprulu War (as it is called by the Ascendency) has begun.

AD 2600 (MID): The Second Strike Armada arrives in the Koprulu Sector, composed of the 16th to 21st Fleets, led by Fleet Admiral Marcus Whitcomb. Whitcomb becomes Cole's second-in-command. Korhal is assaulted by a joint Raiders-Ascendency strike force, ending with Sarah Kerrigan executing Mengsk on sector-wide broadcast, and the formation of the Koprulu Coalition, composed of the Umojan Protectorate and the Raiders (temporary government, as they are under martial law due to the Zerg). The nascent Terran Dominion ends before it even begins. Spartan Teams infiltrate Moria and assassinate the Kel-Morian Combine's Ruling Board. Ascendency forces arrive days later, forming the Morian Colonial Protectorate. Although Fleet Admiral Whitcomb opposes the move, Cole manages to convince him that it is for the greater good- after all, the Combine wasn't a very good government, and the planets under their control could now serve as ports for the Ascendency fleets. The Zerg manage to reach Aiur, prompting the Dark Templar sect of Protoss to assist the Khalai Protoss (the Protoss Empire).

AD 2600 (LATE): As the fight for Aiur intensifies, Zerg forces begin diverting from the main fronts of war against the Terran/Ascendency forces to the Protoss Front, prompting Cole to send a fleet under the command of Whitcomb to the suspected location of the diverting point. Reinforcements from the Ascendency proper begin flooding into the Koprulu Front, as it is now called. The rare sight of retreating Zerg becomes commonplace as Sentinel Armies use the Zerg's tactics against them.

AD 2601: Aiur falls, with the formation of the Protoss Protectorate. The Protoss form an alliance with the Ascendency and Terran Coalition, with the reclamation of Aiur being the main objective for the Protoss side. Sentinels continue to join the fight as the war continues to rage. The former Terran Dominion is formally turned into the United Terran Republic, a democratic government. The Ghost Program becomes somewhat of a dilemma for the nascent Republic, and despite the best efforts of certain leaders, a purge is ordered by overly ambitious politicians. Two days later, smoking craters are found in the suspected location of the Ghost Academies, with the bodies of hundreds of Terran marines. No Ghosts are found. John-117 hits year Zero, with researchers all marveling at the 'technically immortal' state he is in. Still, another problem presents itself- information overloads.

AD 2602: UTR Prime Minister Aiden Rell accuses the Ascendency of sheltering Ghosts, all the while claiming the reclaimed worlds from the Zerg. The Umojan Protectorate's relations with the Republic begin to sour as border disputes continue. The Ascendency begins settling several planets near the Koprulu Sector, all of them Fortress Worlds. This is due to the fact that the Zerg are nearby. After continuous attacks on Ascendency convoys, five full Reclaimer Ascendency Star Navy Fleets arrive in orbit of Deadman's Rock, giving the local reigning warlord an ultimatum. Stop all drug shipments, pirate raids and become a Protectorate of the Ascendency, or be annihilated. The warlord chooses to decline, though mercenary leader Mira Han swiftly kills him. She then negotiates the formation of the Deadman's Rock Autonomous System. The hive of scum and villainy would remain so, though there is a noticeable decrease in killings after mercenaries employed by Han begin patrolling the planet.

AD 2603: Tarsonis is liberated from the Zerg, and becomes the first Reclaimer Star Ascendency planet within the Koprulu Sector. The Tarsonis ODP Grid is moved from Sol (where it was constructed) to Tarsonis' high orbit. The Republic protests this move, stating that it shows the Ascendency's 'imperialist colors and views.' James Raynor and the former Raynor's Raiders begin distancing themselves from the Republic. Meanwhile, Cole begins planning Operation: DOWNFALL alongside Grand Admiral Thrawn and Fleet Admirals Whitcomb and Ramirez.

AD 2604: The Zerg strike at the recently resettled Republic frontier world of Mar Sara. Half of the colony's 80,000 colonists are slaughtered in the initial day of fighting, with the survivors holing up with the Raiders (who moved to Mar Sara to police the surrounding space, a move by the politicians on Korhal to remove the popular figures from public sight) in their massive base. The Ascendency reacts to the attack faster than the Republic does, sending the 10th, 13th, 16th and 20th Fleets (400 warships) to evacuate the surviving forces, alongside the Umojan 5th Fleet and the Morian Protectorate's 3rd Fleet. The United Terran Republic Navy's Frontier Fleet is instead recalled to the Republic Core Worlds. Divisions begin to show between the Core Worlds in the Republic and the Fringe Worlds. Agria comes under assault as well, liberated under the 'rogue' Raiders. The Ascendency assists the Raiders in forming the New Terran Alliance, an impromptu military junta, due to the Republic's sluggishness in responding to threats in the Fringe Worlds. The Alliance begins a pseudo arms race with the Republic, vying to retrieve Xel'Naga artifacts.

AD 2605: Negotiations between the NTA and the UTR break down, with many Republic worlds (nearly all the Fringe Worlds and the core world of Nephor II) renounce their ties to the Republic, proclaiming themselves independent states. Operation: DOWNFALL is initiated. Over one thousand and five hundred Ascendency warships, three hundred Morian warships, two hundred Umojan ships, nine hundred Protoss warships and one hundred and fifty NTA ships strike Char, seeking to destroy the Overmind. The War on Char turns into a grisly stalemate within a few days.

AD 2606: The Char campaign enters its second year, with ridiculously large fleets pouring into the system. ODPs are brought in from Tarsonis, where they were built. The Aiur Reclamation Fleet, composed of eight hundred Protoss warships and six hundred Ascendency warships, enters the system containing Aiur. With the vast majority of the Zerg Swarm battling the Allied Forces on Char, the Second Battle of Aiur ends in a few days time with the Protoss in control of their homeworld once more. The Xel'Naga Artifacts are placed together (retrieved by the Alliance, taken from the Republic, given by the Protoss and found by the Ascendency) on Char. Casualties for the Allied Forces reach the double digit millions as mass Zerg waves turn Char into one of the bloodiest battlegrounds of recent galactic history. Operation: DOWNFALL reaches its penultimate phase, and the Artifact is activated, killing multiple Zerg cerebrates. A strike team led by Ghosts Sarah Kerrigan and Nova Terra manage to spearhead a push to the Overmind's location. Orbital Strikes are called in on a regular basis during this phase (the death of the Cerebrates disorganized the Zerg flyers, allowing some warships to be tasked to support roles, and the clearing of the Surface-to-Orbit Spore Cannons near the Overmind allowed the ships to do so without being infested/shot down). Fifty-three RAVAGER Nuclear Strikes are called in to soften up the Overmind, before a massive Alpha Strike from over three hundred warships hits it. The Overmind is slayed. In the Galactic South of Reclaimer space, a San'Shyuum Prophet (the Prophet of Carnage) crowns himself as the 'Supreme Holy Imperial Sovereign High Lord Prophet of the Glorious Holy Covenant to Reclaim the Righteous and Supreme Glory of the Benevolent Forerunner Gods' (this causes much annoyance to the Directorate of Intelligence, causing many jokes regarding the overcompensation for something on the Prophet's part). The Prophet of Carnage is revealed to be a popular and powerful Minor Prophet who was in exile at the time of the Human-Covenant War. The new Glorious Holy Covenant to Reclaim the Righteous and Supreme Glory of the Benevolent Forerunner Gods is often referred to as the New Covenant by the Ascendency. The New Covenant absorbs the Covenant Remnant.

AD 2607: Despite the death of the Overmind, the Zerg still exist as a dangerous force. Individual broods controlled by Cerebrates can still overwhelm colonies, but without the unifying guidance of the Overmind these broods fight each other as much as they fight the other races, with no united force. The Protoss Protectorate is reformed into the Protoss Union, and begins massive colonization pushes to other sectors. At the same time, the United Terran Republic is turned into a dictatorship under the rule of the autocrat Chancellor Aiden Rell. Rell begins setting up concentration camps to weed out and exterminate the 'undesirables,' reminiscent of the Nazis. The Umojan Protectorate joins the New Terran Alliance, now a democratic nation, inviting the Morian Protectorate to do the same. The Morians refuse, though, already becoming extremely prosperous due to the influx of Ascendency trade. Hundreds of thousands of Jiralhanae flock to the New Covenant.

AD 2608: The New Covenant strikes the Sangheili Imperium's Client States of Bahalo and Te, as well as Kig-Yar space. The Unggoy, only recently given freedom, are enslaved once more, as well as the Kig-Yar. The Jiralhanae join with the promise of revenge against the Sangheili. Te remains in the hands of the Imperium, the defenders being able to hold due to the quick response of the Imperium Quick Response Fleet. The Imperium declares war on the New Covenant. The Reclaimer Ascendency Special Operations Command forms a new branch- the Shadow Corps. Composed of former Ghosts and renegade Specters (originally, it was Spectres, but the name change would be obvious soon), the Shadow Corps would soon gain fame for being the 'space magic' elite of the Ascendency. While each Shadow is not as physically trained as the Spartans (they are, however, inducted from the ages of 8-13), their psionic abilities make them just as deadly-if not more so. While Spartans have adequate Psionic Combat ability, the Shadows excel there. As such, while Spartans are put in teams of six, Shadows fight in pairs, threes, or individually, depending on their specialty. As quoted by the ODSTs, 'a Shadow is like a Spartan with crazy levels of space magic.' All Shadows join at the age of eight to thirteen, ensuring at least five years of hard training, and joining is absolutely voluntary (all schools have Psionic control classes to ensure that the powerful psions that don't want to join the Shadow Corps doesn't need to). The minimum Psi Index requirement to join the Shadow Corps is 5, though every Shadow below PI-8 undergoes Psionic Enhancement (it only works on PI-5 and up, bringing the Shadow to PI-8), and gains telekinesis as a result. Still, the rarity of PI-5 humans, Chiss and other RSA-affiliated (other than the Protoss) species means that Shadows are found in extremely small numbers. Unlike the Confederate Ghosts though, the Shadows are allowed- encouraged, actually- to keep in contact with their family, and spend three Earth months each year with them when in training.

AD 2609: The New Covenant inducts the Yanme'e once more, capturing their High Queen and many subordinate Queens at Palamok. The Imperium's war against the New Covenant becomes a source of worry for the Ascendency. The foremost question on everyone's mind- where did the New Covenant get their ships? The second year of the Sangheili-Covenant War causes popular opinion within the Ascendency to be in line with that of the Imperium's. The 5th, 6th and 7th Fleets are prepared for combat duty, and other fleets are recalled from the Koprulu Sector (where the Morian Protectorate and seventeen Ascendency colonies are located).

AD 2610: The Morian Protectorate of Systems is disbanded, being peacefully absorbed (by popular vote) into the Reclaimer Star Ascendency. They are now part of the Koprulu Colonial Sector. The New Terran Alliance and the United Terran Republic enter a Cold War state of relations, with proxy wars being fought on Nephor II (now an independent state, the Star Federation of Nephor), Haven, and Agria (the Colonial Union of Haven and Agria, CUHA). The Republic is engaged in warfare with the SFN and CUHA, but with the Alliance 'secretly' backing the two states, the Republic is very much bogged down in a stalemate. The Protoss Union and the RSA sign the Joint Defense Treaty of 2610, promising to aid one another in times of war.

AD 2611: The Colonial Union of Haven and Agria requests intervention on the part of the New Terran Alliance and the Reclaimer Star Ascendency. Hours later, the Star Federation of Nephor does the same. Mere days later, Haven, Agria and Nephor II are turned into Alliance worlds. The Republic demands control of these planets, but the Alliance refuses. This leads to the First Alliance-Republic War. The Reclaimer Star Ascendency sends an envoy to the New Covenant, demanding the emancipation of the Unggoy and Kig-Yar from slavery. The envoy is sent back…in pieces. The Ascendency declares war on the New Covenant, striking both Eayn and Bahalo within an hour of the declaration.

AD 2612: Eayn and Bahalo are liberated, and with their enemy split between two fronts, the Imperium manages to push the Covenant off Te. The campaign for Jiralhanae space becomes the first major joint operation between the Imperium and the Ascendency in the 'Second Covenant War.' The seemingly suicidal tactics of Grand Admiral Thrawn lead to many victories for the Ascendency, propelling him to Cole's level of fame (he was always popular within the people before, though). Dylar IV falls to the Alliance, stripping the Republic of its important shipyard. Months later, Korhal falls to a surprise invasion (many defenses were offline at the time, causing suspicion to lay on the Shadow Corps of the Ascendency). The United Terran Republic signs a ceasefire with the New Terran Alliance after many of their leaders die from assassinations, paving the way for several core worlds to fall (they do not, due to frantic managing by the new Prime Minister, Valerian Pasteur).

AD 2613: The Kig-Yar Protectorate of Systems and the Protectorate State of Bahalo are formed as client states of the Ascendency. New Covenant leaders are overthrown in a coup by a Jiralhanae Chieftain. The Jiralhanae Empire is formed, signing a peace treaty with the Ascendency and Imperium. A substantial percentage of the New Covenant fleets goes missing, suspected to be under the command of the Prophet of Carnage, who escaped the coup. At least ten supercarriers and 'a station of immense size and capability' is in Carnage's hands. The Jiralhanae Empire hands over information regarding the _Pious Interpreter _to the Sangheili Imperium and Reclaimer Ascendency. The _Pious Interpreter_ was a massive space station that had been under construction since the year 2200 in the Jengaris System, two thousand and five hundred light years from Earth. It was built by the Old Covenant to serve as a mobile capital, like _High Charity_, but did not have a Forerunner Dreadnought powering it. It was composed of many detachable stations, some of them resource collectors, some of them shipyards, and some of them habitation pods. Unlike the mushroom-shaped station that was _High Charity_, the _Pious Interpreter _was blockier, and slightly smaller. It was approximately three hundred kilometers in length, four hundred kilometers in height and two hundred and fifty kilometers in width. With shipyards capable of producing more shipyards and supercarriers, and enough resource collectors to build the aforesaid supercarriers, it was no wonder that the New Covenant could replenish their losses very easily during the war. The non-Jiralhanae New Covenant is defeated and annexed by the Sangheili Imperium (New Covenant territory was mostly to the Galactic South of the Imperium, which was to the south of the Ascendency). Palamok, though, is fully uninhabited by the end of the war, even though there were no battles there.

AD 2614: The Ascendency consolidates its position as one of the known Galaxy's major powers.

March 11, 2614: Present Date (Start of The Reclaimer Effect: First Contact). An unknown alien artifact of unknown composition is found in an empty system near where the Ascendency colony of Shanxi is located. A small force is sent to investigate…

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Whew. Timelines, I actually hate timelines. That's why this is in a freaking codex instead of the actual story. Now, a few things I need to address:

Starcraft canon states that there were forty thousand dissidents sent to the Koprulu sector. In Starcraft 2 WoL, a newscast can be heard stating 'casualties in the billions.' This means that there needs to at least be 2 billion people in the Koprulu Sector. Also, a cutscene in SC2: WoL involves Raynor saying that Kerrigan murdered 8 billion people, so there's at least 10 billion in the Koprulu Sector. Now, any self-respecting Starcraft fan should know the lore. Koprulu is like Warhammer-verse. Constant war. If you're dead, then you're lucky. If you have Psionic abilities, you'd be drafted, brainwashed, and sent to kill innocents at the age of nineteen (Nova Terra got conscripted at fifteen, and they imply that most Ghosts are conscripted far earlier than that). If you're human, you better pray that you live in Umoja. That's the shiniest and least oppressive place in the sector, considering you'll become an indentured worker/slave in the Combine or indentured/murdered/enslaved/conscripted/oppressed in the , population growth is not a problem (war starts, war ends, horny soldiers breed, population rises, rinse and repeat). The problem is that they started with only 40k people. So I changed it to 4 million. It's more...realistic. Or maybe not, I don't know.

As for the Energy-Kinetic weapons feud. The Vargr in this storyline are like the factions of Star Wars. They utilize energy weapons like crazy, and as such their shields absorb energy weapons very well. I daresay that the Covenant would have a hard time with the Star Wars factions due to this fact. Star Wars factions, though, have one big ass weakness. They have two types of shields- ray and deflector. Ray protects them against energy weapons, and since the vargr use energy weapons in this fic, and their enemies also used energy weapons, their ships had effective ray shields. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not calling Covenant energy weapons weak here. BUT...

Most star wars ships (even though Vargr aren't from Star Wars, they have the Star Wars Syndrome) don't have deflector shields, or if they do, those shields are weak (the Star Destroyers, for example). That means a MAC is much more effective than a Energy Projector on these new enemies of the human race!

Also, the war on the Zerg and the Vargr meant that the humans/Reclaimers researched Sentinel production, slipspace (due to the remoteness of the Koprulu sector), and better reactors (faster fire rate for the MACs).

Why the Sentinels? The ZERG are like the Flood, heck they're so similar that I wonder if they're distant cousins. One Zerg drone can lead to the infestation of an entire planet within hours, if not days. Kill a million zerg, and two million would be spawned by the time you're done. It's clear that even with the Protoss' advanced tech, the Zerg can still overwhelm them through an age-old tactic: NUMBERS. The Sentinels are a way to level this field. While each sentinel is much weaker than those of the Forerunners' (these are REVERSE ENGINEERED, so LOGICALLY they would be weaker...but their function is to overwhelm through numbers anyway, so it hardly matters), it gives the Reclaimers/Terrans/Protoss numerical parity with the Zerg. Oh, and the Sentinels of the Ascendency are NOT FORERUNNER SENTINELS. They have radically different designs, and the majority of them are made in human factories. Why? I'll explain in coming chapters.

The reactors allow a more respectable fire rate for the MACs. The Pillar of Autumn showed the importance in that. Two shots to blow the shield, and one shot to core the ship, and that was entirely possible due to a BETTER REACTOR. So...it would make sense for the humans to research better reactors! Why Slipspace? Because it would allow faster travel times! If you could not figure that out...*hands over loaded pistol* shoot yourself.

And yes, I made the reason for all human advancement due to a ship called PEON POTATO. DEAL WITH IT, BEEYATCH!

*Cackles madly*

Bouncyjellies, signing out!


	2. The Ascendency

AN: Hello there my little minions...readers...friends- you got the point, hello! Alright, here's the second chapter of the 'Codex,' where we will examine the human nation that replaced the UNSC. While I do apologize for twiddly my thumbs for so long, Mass Effect 2 DOES have good replay value...ahem.

In any case, here we go!

* * *

Welcome, reader, to Part One of the Galactic Powers Section. Here we will examine the governments of the various galactic powers, providing useful insight into them.

The first to be examined would be the Reclaimer Star Ascendency.

* * *

Table of Contents:

Part 1: The Ascendency

Part 2: Culture

Part 3: Government/Society

Part 4: Laws

Part 5: Artificial Intelligence

Part 6: Military

Part 7: The Mantle

Part 8: Client States/Protectorates

Part 9: Diplomatic Relations

* * *

What is the Ascendency?

Formed after the dissolution of the Unified Earth Government, the Reclaimer Star Ascendency is the star nation that governs the Chiss and Human races, with multiple Protectorate states. They are considered a superpower in their own right, with the potential for much more. Though they may have slightly addled views of the galaxy, there is no denying that the winds of change have swept the Ascendency into a position of much power.

Date of Formation: July 1, AD 2560 (Reclaimer Standard Calendar)

National Anthem: United We Stand

Motto: Per Aspera Ad Astra (Through Hardships to the Stars)

Unofficial Mottos: Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum (If You Seek Peace, Prepare for War), and The Mantle Shelters All

* * *

CULTURE:

Although they have adopted the Mantle of Responsibility as their main ideology, most humans and Chiss do not have a very optimistic view regarding the galaxy.  
This is undoubtedly due to the Human-Covenant War, the Vargr War, and the Koprulu War after that. The Second Covenant War only enforced that view. War seems to be a very prevalent occurrence in human history, and as such their culture has evolved along similar paths.

Many human cities are now designed with defensive purposes in mind. Energy Shield Generators, Planetary Defense Bunkers, wide roads and controlled choke points have made them targets that attackers would not want to fight through. Monuments for war heroes long dead are common in colonies like New Harvest and Reach, and many art pieces and movies made in recent times have depicted the story of wartime heroes. This doesn't mean that all other forms of culture have been erased, as seen by the new trend of 'House' music, but the general cultural outlook of humanity, the Chiss and the Ascendency can be described as 'Grim Determination.'

The Ascendency prides itself on being a power capable of defending themselves and upholding the Mantle of Responsibility. In their eyes, the defense of the Innocent and Pure races is a priority. Though the official motto of the Ascendency is Per Aspera Ad Astra, which means 'Through Hardships to the Stars,' the unofficial motto 'The Mantle Shelters All' has also become popular. The saying 'Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum' has also become popular in recent times. This had the side effect of fomenting the slightly colonialist attitude of the Ascendency.

* * *

GOVERNMENT: Overview

A fusion of a stratocracy, democracy and monarchy into one, the Galactic Reclaimer Star Ascendency of Worlds (commonly shortened to 'the Ascendency,' 'Reclaimer Ascendency,' 'The Reclaimer Star Ascendency' and 'the Star Ascendency') is the ruling government of the Chiss and Human races (one could argue that both are of the same race). They are widely referred to as Reclaimers, the designated heirs to the ancient Forerunner race. The history of the Ascendency, and humanity in general, has always been a violent one. Wars were commonplace, even in the space age. Scarred by the near-genocidal conflict that was the Human-Covenant War, the Ascendency maintains a Mandatory Military Service Act, ensuring that your average citizen is capable of defending themselves from basic threats.

Unlike the doe-eyed humans of the pre-Human Covenant War era, the modern day human is one that will not be surprised when a war starts. Morals have lost their meaning in war as well, and though it is not something they would want to do, destroying another race's homeworld or causing the extinction of that race is something that CAN and WILL be done. It is a far cry from the Forerunners' view of the Mantle, which was that all life was sacred. The Ascendency's view on the Mantle is a very different one. For them, the Mantle is a tool. It is an ideal to fight for, to justify being the superpower. That view has led to the greatest expansion of a galactic nation in the post-Halo era, the nation being the free yet autocratic Ascendency, a nation that spat in the face of death.

* * *

Government: The TRIUMVIRATE

Technically, the Triumvirate leads the Ascendency. They have veto power over everything the Senate decides, though this power is rarely used. The Triumvirs are quite possibly the most powerful people in the Ascendency, and in the Orion Arm, if not the galaxy.

The most 'public-friendly' Triumvir is the Adjudicator of the Triumvirate. Every five years, elections occur for Adjudicators to be voted into office. Adjudicators can only serve two terms in a row, after which they must wait on full term before being voted in again. The Office of the Adjudicator also includes the Speaker of the Senate and Speaker of the Assembly, both of which represent the interests of the Ascendency Senate and the Ascendency Assembly, both of which advise the Adjudicator. The Adjudicator decides the vote of their part in the Triumvirate. The first Adjudicator, Ruth Charet, was the former President of the corrupt Unified Earth Government. An advocator of peace, but also of readiness, she was known for supporting peaceful solutions that clearly benefited the Ascendency, while not being afraid of making the hard decisions. Ruth Charet retired in 2570, and is widely regarded as one of the most popular politicians in all time, even in military circles. This may have had something to do with her pro-military policies, as she was once major and field surgeon in the UNSC Army.

Another Triumvir is the Supreme Commander of the Ascendency Military Forces. Contrary to popular belief, the Supreme Commander DOES NOT decide the vote of the military. He/she merely conveys the decision made by the High Command Council, which is dominated by the Navy (due to it being the largest branch). The Supreme Commander does have a say in things, as they are always the Head of the Council, but ultimately the vote is not his/hers. The current Supreme Commander is Grand Admiral Terrence Hood, though it is common knowledge that Grand Admirals Cole and Thrawn commonly take his place during some voting sessions.

The last Triumvir is the Prime Ascendant of the Ascendency. The identity of the Prime Ascendant known to all Reclaimers, and it is known that the Prime Ascendant has total and full control of any Sentinel of Forerunner make, and indeed, anything related to Forerunners. To prevent the total domination of power by the Prime Ascendant, most of the Sentinels made by the Ascendency are human-built, and very different from the Sentinels of the Forerunners. Strangely enough, it was the Prime Ascendant who proposed that idea.

The Triumvirate has the final say in how the Ascendency is run.

* * *

Government: The SENATE and GOVERNORS

Another political system is the Ascendency Senate, which is made up of representatives from the various Sectors in the Ascendency. They vote on galactic laws, handle trading agreements and disputes with other sectors, and generally run most of the Ascendency.

The Senators are chosen by Sector Governors, who govern the Sectors, which can have from twenty to fifty systems, and the colonies inside the systems (with the exception of the Sol System and scientific and military hubs, which are under special circumstances).

A Colonial Governor governs each colony of sufficient population (100,000). These Colonial Governors are subordinate to the Sector Governor, and report to him/her.

In the even that a colony doesn't have the requisite population to get a Colonial Governor, a Settlement Governor would govern them, reporting to the Senior Settlement Governor. The Senior Settlement Governor is essentially like a Colonial Governor, also reporting to the Sector Governor, with the exception that he has Settlement Governors for each of the colonies of insufficient population to delegate work to. Once a settlement gains a population of above 100,000 and has the level stay steady for at least two months, they get a Colonial Governor. This rule also applies to space stations. If a space station has a population of above 100,000, they would get a Colonial (Station) Governor. A space station below the requisite population level would get a Station Governor, who, like Settlement Governors, reports to the Senior Settlement Governor. Each Colonial/Settlement/Station governor is an elected official, chosen by the citizens of the colony/settlement/space station they live on by majority vote. Likewise, the Senior Settlement Governor is elected by the Settlements (all of them) that he oversees. The Sector's citizens elect the Sector Governor. The Senator of the Sector, however, is chosen by the votes of the Sector, Senior Settlement and Colonial Governors (the Settlement and Station Governors do not vote on this).

All Governors serve five-year terms, and may serve two terms in a row, given that they still retain the majority vote in their favor. After serving two terms, all Governors must wait one full term before being voted in again.

* * *

Government/Society: The ASSEMBLY

Existing since the First Colonial Rush in the early 2300s, the Assembly is made of every AI that exists during a certain time period. The Assembly is led by the Councilor and Vice Councilor, both of whom represent the Assembly in political meetings and the like. The Vice Councilor also serves as the Speaker of the Assembly.

The Assembly is more of a platform for AIs rather than a true political system. All Artificial Intelligences have the choice to participate in the Assembly, and a majority vote is needed for a proposal to be passed and sent to the Senate and Triumvirate. While the Senate is often rife with 'stupid, idiotic proposals,' everything sent by the Assembly is more often than not a logical measure. Laws require two things before they are passed. The approval of both the Assembly and the Senate (majority vote), or the decision of the Triumvirate (which rarely happens).

As such, the Assembly is seen as a potent political force. Considering the size and scope of AI capabilities, and with the advent of AI citizenship (something kept low-profile by the AIs themselves), many politicians see the approval of the Assembly as a necessity in politics.

The highest levels of the Assembly are only open to AIs with a lot of experience and skill, all of which are on the 'Cerberus Committee.'

* * *

LAWS AGAINST CORRUPTION

To prevent the state from being inefficient and sluggish, each governor and senator is 'assisted' by an appointed Artificial Intelligence (which reports everything to the Councilor of Artificial Intelligences or Vice Councilor of Artificial Intelligences, the heads of the Assembly). The AIs serve a dual purpose-to assist the governing and management of the colonies, and to prevent corruption. As withholding information to AIs (aside from personal info) is suspicious and cause for immediate investigation ('if you have nothing to hide, then why are you withholding the info?' being the main question), AIs will know if the Governor or Senator is corrupt. In the event that a Senator or Governor is proven corrupt, they will be arrested and once proof has been given (proof is always there, since AIs won't start a trial without the evidence in the first place) the accused will either a., get thrown into a penal colony (MINOR corruption), or b., executed via Composer (anything not minor warrants this- which injects them with nanites that 'Dominate' their minds in preparation for the process to turn them into Prometheans, heavily armored biological-mechanical hybrids that can take a ton of punishment. After all, why waste a perfectly usable resource?). Due to the harsh laws against corruption, corruption is nearly nonexistent. Domination also allows the authorities to 'see' the memories of the accused. This allows extraction of proof of crime.

This also means that any executed criminals are fully guilty, and puts them to good use. It also means that the Ascendency doesn't waste valuable space and resources to hold useless people. Every criminal proven guilty by trial (which occurs after the 'Domination') but not of crime serious enough to warrant execution (like minor acts of corruption, first-time drug users) are put to work on the penal colonies, without being turned into a Promethean. Since they are already dominated, they cannot- they simply aren't able to, since they aren't in control of their body- escape. They are conscious and able to see the things that they have to do when at the penal colonies, but are utterly powerless to do anything. This is usually torturous to most humans, and ensures that they will not attempt anything criminal anymore when released. Even so, once you've been thrown into a penal colony, the Directorate of Intelligence or local authorities would 'red flag' you. While 'red flags' don't affect your chances of employment, they do ensure that you won't be able to run when you commit another crime, as the AIs would do their damnedest to keep an eye of you- and AIs are nigh impossible to trick or fool.

The reasons for this policy are many. The first is that prisons are expensive to maintain and requires trained personnel to man and guard, personnel that could be of more use on the theaters of war. The second is that the Ascendency is of the belief that anyone _dumb_ enough to use or make drugs, murder people and attack innocents or the people defending them should not be given the right to live. The third reason is that Ascendency is also of the belief that rapists are the vilest kind of scum, not human/sentient. Therefore, sentient rights laws are void against them. The fourth reason is that the Composer, when used to 'Dominate' (as is protocol until proof is found), allows investigators to 'see' the memories of the 'Dominated.' Therefore, they would be able to know if the accused is actually guilty. If the accused is not actually guilty, they are 'released' from 'Domination' and compensated with funds and an apology from the authorities. This is so rare, since 99.9999999999% of the time; AIs would be able to tell if the proof is genuine.

The Reclaimer Star Ascendency has many strict laws. Piracy, drug smuggling, kidnapping, extortion, corruption, terrorism, possession of illegal substances, rape, premeditated assault on military personnel and civilians, treason, conspiracy to commit acts of treason and rebellion and premeditated murder all carry the death sentence in the Ascendency, carried out through the use of the Composer (which 'dominates' the criminal into a 'voided' form to prepare for the transformation into Prometheans to complement the Ascendency Military Forces- after all, you may as well make something useless useful, right?).

* * *

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCES

Although the Artificial Intelligences of the current era cannot hope to match those of the Forerunners,' one cannot underestimate the power and influence wielded by the AIs of the Ascendency. The average AI lacks creativity on the scale that humans and other organic species have. They are much better at improving things rather than inventing the said things. Despite having citizenship, Artificial Intelligences only make up a very small minority in the Ascendency. The average AI can live for centuries, though no one is really sure on the authenticity of this 'fact,' due to the fact that the oldest AI, Cortana, is sixty-five as of now (technically Serina is the oldest, being eighty-four years old, but she was deactivated for thirty-six years).

All Artificial Intelligences possess the Cortana Package, which allows for better memory syntaxes and allows for a much longer lifespan. A vast majority of AIs serve in either a military, scientific or government function. Although the option to 'retire' is open to all AIs, the number of AIs that have done so can be counted on one hand- those AIs chose to return mere minutes later due to 'sheer boredom.'

Artificial Intelligences created after the creation of the Cortana Package retain a vast majority of the memories they possessed during their old 'human' life, though one has to be of genius-level intellect to even be considered for the process of being used as the donor for AIs.

AIs cannot reproduce in the way humans/Chiss do, though the scientists at the Artificial Lifeforms Institute of New Alexandria remain hopeful.

* * *

THE MILITARY

Three out of every five citizens end up in the Colonial Defense Force (CDF), the other two out of every five end up in the other branches voluntarily. Unlike the CDF militias, they spend five years in the military (as opposed to three in the CDF), get paid more and get free scholarships upon completion of their service duration.

Due to this, crime rates are extremely low in the Ascendency, and most people have the discipline due to their time in the military (every two years, civilians must go back into the CDF for a three-month 'refresher'). Therefore, a citizen of the Ascendency is rarely rude or disrespectful, and the members of the military are highly respected.

Branches of the Ascendency Military Forces include the Reclaimer (Ascendency) Star Navy, Reclaimer (Ascendency) Marine Corps, the Reclaimer Ascendency (Terrestrial) Army, the Colonial Defense Force, the Reclaimer (Ascendency) Directorate of Intelligence, and the Reclaimer (Ascendency) Special Operations Command.

* * *

**Reclaimer (Ascendency) Star Navy**

The Reclaimer (Ascendency) Star Navy is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful within the Orion Arm, and indeed, within the Milky Way Galaxy. Fortress Worlds scattered throughout Ascendency space serve as Fleet Nodes for the many fleets of the Navy, capable of 'jumping' to colonies in need of assistance in mere minutes. Each fleet has a minimum of one hundred warships, with some fleets possessing up to three hundred. Each sector has at least one fleet, centered around a Battleship, Carrier, or another heavy capital ship.

The naval warships of the RSN are often utilitarian and blocky in shape, heavily armored, and extremely modular. A half-damaged wreck of a frigate can easily be used to repair Destroyers, which are of the same naval frame. Though they are often smaller than Covenant starships, RSN warships are definitely not weaker. The smaller size of the Reclaimer ships means that they have smaller crews, to increase fleet sizes and overall firepower. The exceptions to these are the Carriers, Supercarriers, Battleships and Dreadnoughts. The former need to be bigger just to carry more fighters, bombers and interceptors, while the latter are hardened flagships capable of taking down entire fleets on their own. Most shipyards in Ascendency space are capable of building frigate/destroyer-class warships with ease, which makes them an economically viable force for light-duty work.

The exceptions to the 100-300 ship fleets of the RSN are the Chiss Armadas. Unlike the Reclaimer Star Ascendency, the Chiss Ascendency used to group their warships into five hundred ship Armadas, capable of taking down the most fortified of systems, although they were badly suited for patrols and sector defense. Most Chiss Armadas are now run by a mixed species crew, and are only called in to the massive battles. Chiss starships are actually on a similar/larger scale than those of the human-designed ones. Aside from their iconic dagger-shaped designs, the Chiss had several ship classes, relatively similar to that of the humans.

The motto of the Reclaimer Star Navy is 'Semper Fortis,' which means 'always brave.'

* * *

**Reclaimer Marine Corps**

The Reclaimer Marine Corps is considered to be one of the most well-trained and equipped forces in the known galaxy. Training for the Corps is rigorous, taking place over 'eight months of hell,' according to some of the fresh recruits. A Marine can be expected to be stationed onboard the RMS _Infinity_ on one day and be fighting on a Zerg-infested world the next. The Marine Combat Armor is a powered armor system, with the aesthetics of the ODST BDU. An advanced VISR System, bio-steel (a Terran invention, essentially a metal that can heal itself over time) armor, shock pads, bio-gel injectors (can do minor repairs, but still hurts like a bitch), and space for accessories is included in the MCA. Shielding is slightly below the capabilities of a MJOLNIR MK5, with relatively heat resistant and accommodating armor below it. MCAs cannot carry AIs unless specially modified, which is expensive and costly. MCAs can be manufactured on almost every industrialized colony within the Ascendency, which greatly reduces its cost.

Standard Marine Combat Armor is used by the riflemen, sharpshooters and snipers of the Marine Corps, as it provides a balance of protection and mobility, while allowing stealth modules to be equipped. Machine Gunners and Heavy Weapons specialists use the Heavy Marine Combat Armor, a heavily redesigned Marauder Armored Suit (technically a heavily modified CMC-660 'Firebat' Suit). Heavy shielding, thicker bio-steel armor, inbuilt weapons systems, and advanced targeting systems ensure that accuracy is high, allowing for greater survivability in the battlefields against the horrendous Zerg Swarm. Marines also operate an Armored Artillery Corps, using the tried and tested Siege Tanks of the Koprulu Sector. There is no truly 'dedicated long-range artillery' in the Reclaimer Marines. This is due to the fact that the Marine Corps is used for quick, fast attacks. Offensive campaigns for the Marines are usually short enough that if Artillery truly needs to be called in, something has gone _very_ wrong- and besides, air strikes are nearly always more effective. Even if artillery is needed, the Army is usually not far behind the Marines.

The Reclaimer Marine Corps' motto is 'Semper Fidelis,' which translates to 'Always Loyal/Faithful.'

* * *

**Reclaimer Ascendency Terrestrial Army **

Another branch of the Reclaimer Ascendency Military Forces is the Reclaimer Ascendency Terrestrial Army. The Army is much larger than the Marine Corps, and has a shorter training program (four months). The duties of the Army are simpler than those of the Marines. In the event of an invasion, the Marines will be the first attackers. The Army will quickly follow, allowing their lighter troops and reinforcements to either secure the areas invaded by the Marines and mop up remaining resistance forces. The Army uses a lighter version of the Standard Marine Combat Armor for all its troops- this is why the Koprulu War has rarely seen the deployment of Army troops in the initial stages of open warfare. It allows for increased mobility at the cost of weaker shields and thinner armor.

The Reclaimer Ascendency Terrestrial Army does not have any duties in regards to space- unlike Marines, they do not have the task of shipboard security. Despite that, the Standard Army Combat Armor still has the capability to operate in vacuum. When not in a warzone, the Army has the duty of garrisoning Ascendency colonies, as well as the worlds of the Ascendency's client states. They assist and train CDF forces in Ascendency space, and do the same in regards to the client states' military forces.

The motto of the Reclaimer Ascendency Terrestrial Army is 'Semper Paratus,' which means 'Always Prepared.'

* * *

**Colonial Defense Force  
**

The Colonial Defense Force is the largest 'military' force of the Ascendency. Three out of every five citizens (citizenship is only gained after three years of CDF service, or military service in other branches) enter the CDF, training to defend their homes in case of war.

The CDF is loosely based on the Israel Defense Forces, which includes men and women, and are mostly composed of conscripts. All CDF personnel serve for three years, and have two months of basic training. Advanced training courses are encouraged, but not necessary. Officer ranks are usually given to transfers from the Army and Marines, or Navy in the case of the space forces of the CDF. CDF personnel also serve solely in their colony's defense force. For example, a civilian from Harvest would only need to serve in the Harvest Defense Force, though they can request to be put on a rotational duty for inter-colony experience.

The CDF itself is divided into two branches- the Colonial Space Defense Forces, and the Colonial Ground Defense Forces. The CSDF uses old warships transferred from the Star Navy, and has command of the Orbital Defense Platforms and any defensive emplacements in space in a particular system.

At the age of eighteen a civilian is required to join either the CDF (as conscripts) or other military branches. A single CDF term of service is three years, as opposed to the other branches' five years term. After finishing their term of service, CDF personnel gain citizenship. Civilians may request to have a non-combat role, which is usually granted. Refusal to serve due to medical reasons was once a concern, but with modern medical technology this is a nonissue. Refusal to serve due to religious reasons is not grounds for escaping service. Using this as an excuse in trial would automatically get the accused charged with desertion of their post- a crime with a punishment of lifetime penal colony service or death.

Though the Desertion Law seems draconian, in many respects it is not much of a hindrance as long as a civilian complies with the basic laws. Citizens who become doctors, nurses or scientists will have non-combat roles. Note that all CIVILIANS must join the CDF to gain CITIZENSHIP. Therefore the doctor/scientist/nurse will have already joined the CDF in the past. They will get medical/scientific roles during their biannual refresher courses.

The motto of the CDF is 'This We'll Defend.'

* * *

**Reclaimer (Ascendency) Directorate of Intelligence  
**

The Reclaimer Directorate of Intelligence (RDI) is the intelligence branch of the Ascendency's military. They are tasked with gathering intelligence regarding other factions, and carrying out covert strikes against other hostile factions. The Ghost Incident was widely reputed to be an RDI operation.

Much of the information regarding the RDI is heavily classified. However, the only way to join the Directorate of Intelligence is to have either served in the CDF or other branches of the armed forces. The RDI has several Sections. Section Zero (0) is Internal Affairs. This Section has Assembly oversight. Section One (1) is Domestic Intelligence, while Section Two (2) is Foreign Intelligence. Section Three (3) is Public Relations, and Section Four (4) is Covert Operations. S4 also has Assembly oversight.

The motto of the RDI is 'Semper Vigilo,' which means Always Vigilant. The RDI has much less notoriety than its predecessor, the Office of Naval Intelligence, which was disbanded after major ONI officials were tried for treason and executed.

* * *

**Reclaimer Special Operations Command (RSOC)  
**

The most romanticized of all military branches is the Reclaimer Special Operations Command, commonly referred to as RSOC, pronounced R-Sock. It is composed of the augmented Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, who are composed of mostly elite marines and army troopers that have undergone the Spartan-IV augmentation process, which is much cheaper (but still expensive), the Spartan Corps and the Shadow Corps.

* * *

_Orbital Drop Shock Troopers_

The ODSTs have the duty of heavy combat operations, fighting as shock troopers and rendering assistance to any units in need of immediate support. Their motto is 'Feet First Into Hell.'

* * *

_Spartan Corps _

The Spartan Corps is the legendary force of commandoes, mostly composed of the Spartan-Vs. They are VOLUNTARILY recruited at the age of 8-12, most of them either orphans, or the sons/daughters of career military soldiers. Only those with a Psi Index level of five and above are allowed into the Spartans, further reducing their pool of candidates. Six years of tough training would then hone them into the bleeding edge of the deadly dagger that is the Reclaimer Special Operations Command. Those that fail in the training usually end up in the military anyway, as they already had to be elite to even be considered for the Spartan Corps in the first place. There have been no augmentation defects. The Spartans are an icon of Ascendency military superiority, and massive morale boosters. Despite their heavily increased numbers (Divisions Alpha through Zulu, each with 6000 Spartans, a total of 156000-160000 Spartans), Spartans are a rare and valuable resource. A single Spartan Division is rarely grouped together- they are usually centered in Fortress Worlds, as Special Operations Teams or in warzones. Spartans have telepathic abilities, allowing their unit cohesion to be, in the words of an anonymous marine, 'god-like.' Rarely are there Spartans with telekinetic abilities- these gifted individuals usually enter the Shadow Corps.

Most Spartan Corps senior officers are Spartan-II and IIIs, as they have much more experience than the few IVs and the majority of the Vs.

The motto of the Spartan Corps is 'Victory or Death.'

* * *

_Shadow Corps  
_

The Shadow Corps is the smallest, but potentially most dangerous Special Operations force in the RSOC. Suspected of being composed of defected Terran Ghosts or Specters, Shadow Operatives are elite psionic combatants. Unlike the Spartans, who possess limited psionic abilities, the Shadow Operatives are well-versed in the art of psionic warfare. The Ghost Incident, as it is referred to in Terran space, was the suspected mass defection of nearly all the Terran Dominion (and later Republic and Alliance) Ghosts. The Republic had ordered a mass purge of the Ghosts, and as such the Ascendency was suspected to have seized the chance to gain the expertise of several elite commandos and their gear, along with their method of training.

'Operatives' is a common way of referencing a Shadow, though it is actually a rank in the Corps as well. One should not mistake a Shadow Operative (a Shadow) and a Shadow Operative (the rank).

Shadow Operatives can be recruited from the age of 8 and above- the recruitment MUST BE VOLUNTARY on the part of the RECRUIT. Shadow Operatives are augmented to a slightly lower level than the Spartan-Vs, focusing most of their training on psionic abilities. This makes them a heavily effective force of commandos, used only on the missions deemed nigh impossible.

The motto of the Shadow Corps is 'Death from the Shadows.'

* * *

The motto of RSOC, 'Tip of the Spear,' is emblazoned on their command patches.

* * *

**RECLAIMER STAR NAVY**

Formations of the **Reclaimer Star Navy**

Armada: Composed of at least two fleets, Armadas are usually led by Fleet Admirals. They are stationed at fortress and important worlds, most of which also serve as Fleet Nodes, but they are not permanent formations. Armadas are created as combined fleet task forces. These Armadas can also be called upon for offensive actions. Armadas are not numbered. Armadas may also refer to the Chiss Ascendency's naval fleets before they joined the RSA- these Armadas still exist as Strike Armadas.

Strike Armadas: Strike Armadas are massive fleet formations that were used by the Chiss and adopted by the Ascendency. Composed of upwards of five hundred warships, Strike Armadas are called in for war and war only. They are numbered, though only five active Strike Armadas exist by 2614. Strike Armadas are always led by Fleet Admirals, with Admirals or Vice Admirals acting as second-in-commands.

Fleet: Led by Admirals/Vice Admirals, fleets are usually stationed at strategic Fleet Nodes, where Quick Reaction Battle Groups (of which each fleet has a minimum of two of these battle ready groups at all times) can immediately launch to reinforce friendly forces. Rear Admirals and Commodore usually these Battle Groups, the Rear Admirals usually in command of the QRBGs. Fleets are numbered. A fleet can have between a hundred to three hundred warships. Each Colonial Sector has at least one fleet stationed there.

Flotillas: Flotillas are made of 50 warships, composed of ten squadrons of five. Rear Admirals or Commodores command them. There are two types of flotillas. Patrol Flotillas receive the task of patrolling the regions between systems, being the first responders to any distress calls. To cover more space but still retain combat capability, each Squadron, under the command of either a Commodore (who serves as the Second-In-Command of the Flotilla) or Captain, travel on different routes. The second type of Flotilla is the Scout Flotilla. Unlike the Patrol Flotillas, which contains fifty starships, a Scout Flotilla is composed of only twenty-five stealth starships. Every starship in a Scout Flotilla is capable of 'silent running,' which means that it is nigh impossible to detect. Rear Admirals automatically control Scout Flotillas due to two things, the first being that Stealth technology is a massive force multiplier in capable hands. Scout Flotillas are also responsible for scouting hostile and unknown systems, and as such will more than likely encounter hostile resistance. Levelheaded commanders usually find themselves in command of Scout Flotillas. A Scout Flotilla has five squadrons.

Battle Groups: A Battle Group is usually a force of twenty-five warships, commonly found in Fleets and Armadas. In the cases of Fleets and Armadas, these Battle Groups are categorized in specific ways. For example, the first Battle Group in the 7th Fleet would be referred to as FBG7A (Fleet Battle Group 7th Alpha), while the fifth Battle Group in the 4th Strike Armada would be referred to as SABG8E (Strike Armada Battle Group 8th Echo). In most fleets and armadas, though, the commanding officers regularly refer to them as Battle Groups Alpha or Echo, to save time. Independent Battle Groups, which are naval elements not part of any fleets, flotillas or armadas, and are designated by IBG (Independent Battle Group), followed by their Group Number (like 7th Fleet, but in the case of a Battle Group the number is after the words Battle Group). Battle Group Infinity, the largest Battle Group in the Reclaimer Star Navy, numbering at seventy-five warships, is the First Battle Group, and as such is designated IBG1. These Battle Groups can number from fifteen to seventy-five warships, commanded by Captains to Admirals (Admiral Thomas Lasky Jr. is the only full admiral commanding a Battle Group, due to the prestige and power associated with the Infinity Battle Group). Independent Battle Groups are also commonly named after their flagship, so if the starship _Gabon_ is leading a Battle Group, it can also be called Battle Group Gabon. Independent Battle Groups can have tasks ranging from antiterrorist, antipiracy, special operations, diplomatic missions, convoy escorts and other science-related activities.

* * *

Ranks of the **Reclaimer Star Navy**

(ENLISTED)

Cadet Recruit (E-1, CdR, Single Silver Line pointed 45 degrees clockwise (a 3 o'clock) on black background): New Recruit into Navy

Cadet Apprentice (E-2, CdA, same as Cadet Recruit, but with two bars): Completed basic training

Cadet (E-3, Cd., same as Cadet Recruit, but with three bars): two months post-basic, if there are no infractions

Petty Officer Third Class (E-4, PO3)

Petty Officer Second Class (E-5, PO2)

Petty Officer First Class (E-6, PO1)

Chief Petty Officer (E-7, CPO)

Senior Chief Petty Officer (E-8, SCPO)

Master Chief Petty Officer (E-9, MCPO)

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (Special Rank): Serves similar purpose as MCPONs of the United States Navy of the 21st Century Earth.

(COMMISSIONED OFFICERS)

Ensign (O-1, ENS, One gold vertical bar)

Lieutenant Junior Grade (O-2, LTJG, One silver vertical bar)

Lieutenant (O-3, Lt., two silver vertical bars)

Lieutenant Commander (O-4, Lt. Cmdr.,) Commands corvettes to frigates

Commander (O-5, Cmdr.,) Commands frigates to cruisers, also commands naval outposts

Captain (O-6, Cpt.,) Commands cruisers to carriers/battleships and naval outposts

Commodore (O-7, Cmdre.) Commands battlegroups and flotillas and naval installations

Rear Admiral (O-8, RADM,) Commands flotillas and naval stations

Vice Admiral (O-9, VADM,) Commands fleets and naval stations

Admiral (O-10, Adm.,) Commands fleets and a star sector's combined fleets

Fleet Admiral (O-11, FADM,) Commands a Sector's combined fleets and commands Strike Armadas/Armadas.

Grand Admiral (O-12, GADM, special rank): Only three Grand Admirals exist- Terrence Hood, Preston Jeremiah Cole and the famed Chiss Grand Admiral Thrawn. They have control over the Reclaimer Star Navy, each having their own fleet formation to command at the same time.

* * *

**RECLAIMER MARINE CORPS**

Formations of the Reclaimer Marine Corps:

1 corps: 5 divisions, 1.5 million people

1 division: 5 regiments, 300,000 people

1 regiment: 10 battalions, 60,000 people

1 battalion: 5 companies, 6000 people

1 company: 10 Platoons, 1200 people

1 Platoon: 5 units, 120 people

1 Unit: 4 squads, 24 people

1 Squad: 6 people

The RMC does not utilize formations larger than a Corps, as each marine is already heavily armed and armored.

* * *

Ranks of the **Reclaimer Marine Corps**:

(ENLISTED)

Private (E-1, Pvt.)

Private First Class (E-2, Pfc.)

Lance Corporal (E-3, LCpl.)

Corporal (E-4, Cpl.)

Sergeant (E-5, Sgt.): XO/CO of squads

Staff Sergeant (E-6, SSgt.): XO/CO of squads

Gunnery Sergeant (E-7, GySgt.): CO of squads, XO of units

Master Sergeant (E-8, MSgt.): XO/CO of units

Sergeant Major (E-9, Sgt. Maj.): CO of units, XO of platoons

Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps (Special Rank, Sgt. Maj. MC)

(COMMISSIONED OFFICERS)

Second Lieutenant (O-1, 2ndLt): Commands platoons

First Lieutenant (O-2, 1stLt): Promoted from 2ndLt after 18-24 months of service, commands platoons/serves as XO for a company, CO of platoons

Captain (O-3, Cpt.): XO of Battalion, CO of a company, commands a platoon as well

Major (O-4, Maj.): XO of a Battalion, CO of a battalion.

Lieutenant Colonel (O-5, Lt. Col.): CO of a battalion, XO of a regiment

Colonel (O-6, Col.): XO of a regiment, CO of a regiment

Brigadier General (O-7, BGen.): CO of a regiment, XO of a division

Major General (O-8, Maj. Gen.): CO of a regiment, XO of a division,

Lieutenant General (O-9, Lt. Gen.): CO of a division, XO of a Corps

General (O-10, Gen.): CO of a Corps

General of the Marine Corps (Special Rank, Gen. MC): Overall command of the RMC

* * *

**RECLAIMER ASCENDENCY TERRESTRIAL ARMY**

Formations of the Reclaimer Ascendency Terrestrial Army:

1 army: 10 corps, 12 million people

1 corps: 10 divisions, 1,200,000 people

1 division: 10 battalions, 120,000 people

1 battalion: 10 companies, 12,000 people

1 Company: 10 Platoons, 1,200 people

1 Platoon: 5 units, 120 people

1 Unit: 4 squads, 24 people

1 Squad: 6 people

* * *

Ranks in the **Reclaimer Ascendency Terrestrial Army**:

(ENLISTED)

Private- Recruit (E-1, PV1)

Private (E-2, Pvt.)

Private First Class (E-3, Pfc.)

Corporal (E-4, Cpl.): XO of squads

Sergeant (E-5, Sgt.): XO/CO of squads

Staff Sergeant (E-6, SSgt.): CO of squads

Sergeant First Class (E-7, SFC.): CO of squads, XO of units

Master Sergeant (E-8, MSgt.): XO/CO of units

Sergeant Major (E-9, Sgt. Maj.): CO of units, XO of platoons

Sergeant Major of the Army (Special Rank, SMA)

(COMMISSIONED OFFICERS)

Second Lieutenant (O-1, 2ndLt): Commands platoons

First Lieutenant (O-2, 1stLt): Promoted from 2ndLt after 18-24 months of service, commands platoons/serves as XO for a company, CO of platoons

Captain (O-3, Cpt.): XO of Battalion, CO of a company, commands a platoon as well

Major (O-4, Maj.): XO of a Battalion, CO of a battalion.

Lieutenant Colonel (O-5, Lt. Col.): CO of a battalion, XO of a regiment

Colonel (O-6, Col.): XO of a regiment, CO of a regiment

Brigadier General (O-7, BGen.): CO of a regiment, XO of a division

Major General (O-8, Maj. Gen.): CO of a regiment, XO of a division,

Lieutenant General (O-9, Lt. Gen.): CO of a division, XO of a Corps

General (O-10, Gen.): CO of a Corps, XO of an Army

Field Marshal (O-11, FM): CO of an Army

Grand Marshal (O-12, Special Rank, only one exists): Command of the Army

* * *

**COLONIAL DEFENSE FORCE**

Formations of the Colonial Ground Defense Force

1 Corps: 10 Divisions, 2.4 million people

1 Division: 10 battalions, 240,000 people

1 Battalion: 10 companies, 24,000 people

1 Company: 10 Platoons, 2,400 people

1 Platoon: 10 units, 240 people

1 Unit: 4 squads, 24 people

1 Squad: 6 people

* * *

Ranks of the **Colonial Defense Force**

(SERVICEMEN RANKS APPLY FOR ALL BRANCHES OF THE CDF, GROUND AND SPACE)

Serviceman Third Class (SV3): Completed Basic, equivalent to a private, or Cadet Apprentice.

Serviceman Second Class (SV2): Equivalent to a private first class, or Cadet.

Serviceman First Class (SV1): Equivalent to a corporal, or a Petty Officer.

(Ground Officer Ranks)

Service Chief (SVC): Commands a squad of 6

Gunnery Chief (GYC): Commands a unit of 24

Operations Chief (OPC): Commands a platoon of 240

Company Commander (CPC.): Commands a Company of 2,400

Battalion Commander (BTC.): Commands a Battalion of 24,000

Division Commander (DVC.): Commands a Division of 240,000

Corps Commander (CVC.): Commands a Corps of 2.4 million

Force Commander (FRC.): Commands a colony's overall ground defenses

(Space Officer Ranks)

3rd Lieutenant (3LT): Commands Servicemen or mans positions

2nd Lieutenant (2LT): Coordinates 3LTs or mans positions

1st Lieutenant (1LT): Mans positions

Staff Lieutenant (STLT): Overall command of crew, second-in-command

Ship/Station Commander (S. Cmdr.): Commands a colony's individual defense stations or starships.

Force Commander (F. Cmdr.): Commands a colony's space defenses and ships.

* * *

**Reclaimer Directorate of Intelligence (RDI)**

The RDI does not use troop formations, but rather Sections.

SECTION ZERO (0): Internal Affairs

SECTION ONE (1): Domestic Intelligence

SECTION TWO (2): Foreign Intelligence

SECTION THREE (3): Public Relations

SECTION FOUR (4): Covert Operations

* * *

**RDI** Ranking System (Top to Bottom: Senior to Junior)

**Directors of the RDI**

Director (Controls the Directorate)  
Deputy Director (Second-in-Command to the Director)

**Directors of the Sections**

Section Director

Deputy Section Director

Chief of Section Staff

Deputy Chief of Section Staff

**Field Office**

Sector Supervisor (leads a Colonial Sector's Main Office)

Assistant Sector Supervisor

Head Supervisor (leads a Colony's Main Office)

Assistant Head Supervisor

Supervisor (leads Field Office)

Assistant Supervisor (second-in-command for a Field Office)

Chief of Office Staff (command of Field Officer personnel)

Assistant Chief of Office Staff (second-in-command to COS)

Chief Special Agent (leads a team)  
Senior Special Agent (second-in-command for a team)  
Special Agent

Field Agent (begin advanced training)  
Agent  
Junior Agent (Choose Section)  
Serviceman/Servicewoman (Basic Training Stage)

* * *

**Reclaimer Special Operations Command**

_Orbital Drop Shock Troopers_

(Uses same ranks as Marines, uses same formations as Marines)

* * *

_Spartan Corps_

Formations of the _Spartan Corps_:

1 division: 5 companies, 6000 people

1 Company: 10 Platoons, 1200 people

1 Platoon: 5 units, 120 people

1 Unit: 4 squads, 24 people

1 Squad: 6 people

There are 26 Divisions in the Spartan Corps, each alphabetically named using the NATO Phonetic Alphabet (Alpha Division, Charlie Division).

* * *

Ranks of the _Spartan Corps_:

Spartans use the same ranks as the Marine Corps.

* * *

_Shadow Corps_

Formations of the _Shadow Corps_

1 Regiment: 5 battalions, 2,500 people

1 Battalion: 5 companies, 500 people

1 Company: 5 units, 100 people

1 Unit: 5 strike teams, 20 people

1 Team: 4 people

* * *

Ranks of the _Shadow Corps_:

Elite (special rank, given to elite Shadow Operatives that have ample experience, outranks everyone but Commanders and above)

General (head of the Shadow Corps)

Commander (leads a regiment)

Colonel (leads a Battalion, XO of a regiment)

Lieutenant Colonel (leads a company, XO of a battalion)

Major (leads a unit/company)

Lieutenant (leads a unit, XO of a Company)

Senior Operative (leads a unit/team)

Operative (leads a team)

Specialist (gained experience/took specialist course)

Initiate (finished basic training)

Recruit (begin basic training)

Formations aren't very important though, as Shadow Operatives usually operate in small teams of four, with no 'centralized' command force except the Shadow Corps Regimental Bases at Reach, Tarsonis, and New Harvest, each with a regiment based there. There are rarely more than one battalion of Shadows at each Regimental Base, as the majority of the Corps is spread out in Ascendency and known space.

1st Shadow Regiment: Reach (Inner, Outer and Sol Colonial Regions- note that it is not in sectors)

2nd Shadow Regiment: Tarsonis (Koprulu Colonial Region, Zerg Front)

3rd Shadow Regiment: New Harvest (Chiss Space, Prospero Sector, the Vargr Military Interest Zone)

4th Shadow Regiment (mobile, currently only has three full battalions and one independent company)

* * *

Promethean Combat Force

Known as the 'metal meat shields' by the members of the Ascendency military forces, the Promethean Combat Force is made entirely of 'Composed' criminals, used by the Ascendency to soften up their targets. Despite ethical concerns regarding the Prometheans, little to no sympathy can be given to 'things' who were once rapists, pirates, murderers, terrorists, kidnappers, and traitors. The numbers of the PCF can vary from time to time, and are commonly used for suicide missions. The Battle of Char (Reclaimer-Zerg War/Koprulu War) saw the use of Prometheans as decoys for the combined strike team during the penultimate phase of Operation: DOWNFALL. Though it is not an integral part of the Reclaimer Ascendency's military forces, the Prometheans are almost always called in during tough battles, as a dead Promethean, to the Reclaimers, is not of any importance.

* * *

**The Mantle**

The official ideology of the Ascendency is known as the Mantle of Responsibility, or the Mantle, as it is commonly called. The main ideals are:

1. To shield those incapable defending themselves.

2. To eliminate those who would harm the innocent.

3. To spread prosperity to the people who have none.

The three core ideals themselves have been slightly altered from the Forerunners,' allowing a more 'Manifest Destiny' approach to matters. Despite their trumpeting of the Mantle, many non-Ascendency races see the humans and Chiss as colonialists who have become the premier superpower of the known galaxy.

* * *

**Client States/Protectorates**

The Reclaimer Ascendency's meteoric rise in power has been coupled with prosperity, wealth, and a large number of client states, most of them 'liberated' races who were under the heel of another defeated race.

List of Reclaimer Protectorate States:

Dac Protectorate of Systems (first RSA Protectorate State, became one in 2588)

Vegan Systems Polity (second RSA Protectorate State, became one in 2596)

Morian Colonial Protectorate/Morian Protectorate of Systems (formed in 2600, absorbed by the Ascendency in 2610)

Deadman's Rock Autonomous System (formed in 2602, a puppet dictatorship under former crime lord Mira Han)

Kig-Yar Protectorate of Systems (formed in 2613)

Protectorate State of Bahalo (formed in 2613)

* * *

**Diplomatic Relations**

The Ascendency's rise in power and massive territorial growths have led to strained diplomatic relations with several Orion Arm powers.

The Sangheili Imperium: Although both nations are technically allied, the Imperium has now found itself surprised by the sudden increase of the Ascendency's power. The loss of two client races to the New Covenant, and subsequently to the Ascendency, has also hurt Sangheili pride. The losses sustained by the Imperium during the Second Covenant War, along with the major damage to their worlds, has caused the more rational leaders to accept that they are at a disadvantage to the Ascendency at the moment. The Imperium was the hardest hit faction during the SCW. The Imperium and Ascendency continue to maintain cordial, if strained relations, though the shadow that is the Human-Covenant War (2525-2553) still hangs over these diplomatic efforts like a never-ending raincloud.

The Jiralhanae Empire: The Jiralhanae Empire is a recently formed faction, created by the Chieftain Taurus after he launched a coup against the New Covenant, something that quickened the allied victory during the Second Covenant War (2608-2613, though the Ascendency only entered in 2611). Unlike the barely-contained outright hostility between the Imperium and the Empire, the Ascendency maintains a strained, cold, but cordial relationship with the Jiralhanae Empire. Between the three non-client state former Covenant factions, the Empire is easily the weakest. Their infrastructure was heavily damaged during the Second Covenant War, and the lack of trade with the Imperium has ironically damaged both of their efforts to regain their strength. The Ascendency is slowly gaining heavy influence within the Empire through economic means alone, though the Empire does trade with the Ascendency's protectorates, somewhat helping their economic state.

The Protoss Union: A faction formed from the ashes of the Protoss Empire (and the subsequent Protoss Protectorate), the Protoss Union is one of the few 'allies' of the Ascendency who do not have a tarnished view of it. Relations between the two factions are much better than the relations that the Ascendency has with every other race. The Joint Defense Treaty of 2610 only reinforced the importance of the Protoss-Reclaimer alliance, which allows a more secure Koprulu Sector for the Reclaimer Ascendency colonies there. The Protoss, however, barely have any trading with other factions, due to the lack of an economy. Their fleet, which was heavily decimated during the Koprulu War, is still being rebuilt.

The United Terran Republic: Formed from the ashes of the Terran Dominion (which had only existed for less than a year), the United Terran Republic was supposedly a democratic government that soon fell into a dictatorship under the control of Prime Minister (and later Chancellor) Aiden Rell. The Republic and the Ascendency initially had an alliance, though relations quickly soured when the expansionist dreams of the Republic, along with the purge of the Ghost Program was brought to light. The UTR would later be embroiled in a rebellion very much like the one that the deceased Emperor Mengsk fought against the Terran Confederacy of Man, with nearly all their fringe colonies and one core world rebelling and forming the New Terran Alliance. The Republic would not join the attack on Char during the twilight years of the Koprulu War, instead fighting a cold war against the NTA and preparing for open war against their 'rebel worlds.' The Republic would then set up concentration camps for the 'undesirables,' essentially suspected rebels. The camps were reminiscent of the Nazi death camps, causing the relations between the Ascendency and Republic to sour even more. In 2611, the Republic and the Alliance entered open warfare. Within a year, surprise attacks and the suspected involvement of the RSA caused the Republic to sign a ceasefire with the Alliance, ending the brief First Alliance-Republic War (the more subtle but equally hostile stance of the Republic populace against the NTA has led many to believe that another war is a foregone conclusion). The current leader of the UTR is Prime Minister Valerian Pasteur, a more benevolent dictator who has sought to mend relations, though the people of the Republic themselves are making it an impossible task.

The New Terran Alliance: Formed from the fringe colonies of the Republic and the worlds of the Umojan Protectorate, the New Terran Alliance was initially formed as a military junta by the Raynor's Raiders, and took part in the Battle of Char. The Alliance would later on become a democratic nation, with the Umojan Protectorate becoming part of it, bringing the advanced technology of the Umojans and their worlds into play. The Alliance would be decidedly friendlier than the Republic in their relations with the Ascendency, and they are the only other faction in the K-Sector (their nickname for the Koprulu Sector) who have a mutual defense agreement with the Protoss Union, helped by the fact that Jim Raynor, a prominent founder of the Alliance, was a personal friend of many Protoss higher-ups. The Alliance is slightly suspicious of the Ascendency for the Ghost Incident (also known as the Ghost Purges), but maintain a cordial alliance with them, along with trade agreements.

The Zerg Swarm: Total War. Nuff said.

The Flood: Kill-on-sight orders. Nuff said as well.

* * *

"Many humans thought that gaining the Janus Key and Forerunner tech would give them Forerunner-level capabilities. Of course, these humans were the dumber ones. You don't just jump from their current level of tech to the Forerunners,' who had so much time to perfect their technology that the head researchers of the reverse-engineering programs have repeatedly stated that the amount they could get from it was already higher than expected. Even then, this inheritance of knowledge would easily ensure Reclaimer dominance for centuries, if not millennia to come."- Dr. Jacqueline Carter, Ascendency Department of Research and Science

* * *

AN: That's a wrap! Tune in next time for...gee, I don't know.


End file.
